We'll Figure It Out
by thedespisedfemaleantagonist
Summary: An AU exploring what might have happened had Ellie and Riley never been bitten, and had decided to follow Ellie's suggestion of setting off on their own to face the world.
1. Chapter 1

"What do we do now?"

"We'll figure it out."

Strains of music pouring from the Walkman were the only sound filling the room for a moment after. Riley shifted on her feet, glancing at Ellie and then away again, a smile still lingering on her lips.

_I don't care_

_with you I can't go wrong_

Riley cleared her throat. "Well, we should probably get out of here."

"Yeah." Ellie's gaze was still fixed on her.

Riley stepped off the glass table and offered Ellie her hand. The other girl took it without hesitation, joining her on the floor, never bothering to loosen her grip.

"Marlene is going to be pissed," Ellie muttered.

Riley paused before speaking. "She'll just have to deal."

"Are you sure about this? I mean, you wanted-"

Riley cut her off, catching her gaze and giving her a half smile. "Yeah, I am."

Ellie stared at her intently, looking for some hesitation, some uncertainty. Finding nothing, she gave a nod. "Okay."

She unplugged her Walkman from the radio and carried it to her backpack before stuffing it inside. "Are you sure she's just going to let you walk away?"

Riley pulled the straps of her own pack over her shoulders. "No, there's no way in hell. I know too much to just up and leave."

"So… we're just not going to go back?"

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I don't see another option."

"Riley…"

"We'll be fine. We'll need supplies and stuff, but we can handle this. Ellie, we can finally get the fuck out of here. See stuff, explore, whatever. Isn't that what you wanted? Remember what you said, that night when you met Marlene? That we should just go, take off on our own? This is our opportunity."

"You weren't exactly into the idea when I mentioned it."

Riley glanced away. "I know."

"If you're really sure about this… I think it'd be fucking awesome."

"So… yes?"

"Yes."

Any prior uncertainty gone, Riley grinned and gestured toward the door before setting off, Ellie on her heels. "We'll need to get some stuff: new clothes, food, medical supplies… You need a gun, too."

"I haven't used one before."

"I can teach you."

"Great. Where will we stay?"

Riley hesitated. "Let's find somewhere up high. Infected don't usually hang out on rooftops. We'd have to make supply runs, but it'd be better than being somewhere where we could be found."

"We could get trapped on a roof."

"I know, but I still think it'd be safest. Plus, we'd have a cool view."

Ellie smiled. "Maybe we can find a tent here?"

"Yeah. I think we passed a camping place earlier."

Shoulders brushing as they walked, they made their way through the mall, passing stores that sold candy – a look inside offered nothing but empty shelves and dust and plants and the smell that old, undisturbed places have – shoes, books, candles – the smell of which had dulled over the years – fancy soaps, flowers – this store was also bare, the dried remains of the bouquets having turned to dust – and various other impractical things. They passed a lingerie store, displaying a red, lacy bra-and-thong set in the window, and Ellie eyed it with amusement.

"What was the point of that stuff? I mean it doesn't even cover you."

Riley put her hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle. "It's for sex, Ellie."

"I knew that."

"Of course."

"Shut up."

The camping store was toward the back of the mall. Blood, brown with age, was smeared on the floor in front of the entrance. Letters above the door, though faded and obscured by age, proclaimed it "The Outdoorsman."

Riley pulled her gun from her belt. "This place will probably be pretty empty; I'm sure a lot of people had the idea to go hide in the woods when this shit started. But maybe we'll find something."

Ellie nodded, her hand resting on her pocketknife.

Riley pushed against the door, and it quickly opened with a bit of effort and a creak, scuffing the floor audibly. Ellie followed her in, and they knelt behind a shelf, listening.

"You think there will be any infected in here?" Ellie's voice was barely a whisper.

"I don't think so, but we can't be too careful."

They kept to the wall as they moved, their flashlights revealing circles of the floor in front of them. The shelves they passed were mostly empty, and many were toppled, lying broken on the floor.

"Damn," Riley muttered.

"Let's keep looking."

Their search brought only a pair of large, dusty boots, a broken flashlight, a lighter, and a book on shelter building.

"Well, maybe we can burn the book for warmth in the winter or something," Ellie said, flipping through it. "Not much in here that will help us."

She laughed then, flipping it over. "'This book could a essential in a time of crisis.' It didn't stop the world from going to hell, now did it-"

Riley's hand covered her mouth suddenly, and her lips were by her ear. "Quiet! I hear something."

Ellie froze.

_Iike-ku ku-ike_

The noises, high and guttural, came from somewhere across the store.

"Clicker," Riley whispered.

"What do we do?"

"We can't fire. If there are more nearby they'll come running."

"Can we sneak past it?"

"If it hears us we're fucked."

"Can we kill it without a gun?"

Riley hesitated. "If we can hit it with something, I could take it out with your knife."

Ellie held the broken flashlight, weighing it in her hands. "You think this would do?"

"Only if we don't miss."

"I can handle it."

Riley bit her lip, and then nodded. "We'll flank it. If you can climb up on a shelf you should be able to catch it off-guard. It's blind, so it won't notice our flashlights."

They crept away from the sound of the clicker, weaving their way silently between shelves until they were close enough that they could hear the clicker's feet shuffling across the floor. Ellie took a deep breath and set a foot on the shelf, her working flashlight in hand and the broken one hanging at her hip. She handed Riley her pocketknife, and then carefully climbed the first two shelves, peeking over the top shelf warily. Heart thudding in her chest, she scanned her light along the aisle until it illuminated the clicker. It moved toward the front of the store, occasionally pausing, never ceasing its shrieks and clicks.

She hefted the flashlight and took a deep breath to steady herself. The clicker had stopped at the end of the aisle, and was lunging at thin air, teeth gnashing wildy. It turned around awkwardly, its movements jerky and unnatural, and began to track back toward her. Ellie lifted the broken flashlight and prepared to throw it. When the clicker was within feet of her, she sent the light flying. It clunked solidly against the Cordyceps on the clicker's head, and it tripped forward a few steps.

"Riley, now!" Ellie hissed.

Riley dashed from behind the other side of the shelf, jumping onto the clicker's hunched back and jamming the pocketknife into its neck. Blood coated her hand as she twisted the weapon, and they both thudded to the floor, the clicker's muffled shrieks accompanying them. Riley wrenched the blade from the clicker's neck with a noise of disgust.

"Fuck," she breathed.

Ellie climbed over the shelf to join her. "You okay?"

Riley nodded. "Good throw."

Ellie picked up the broken flashlight. "Guess he found the light."

"Are you fucking serious?"

"Bad joke. Sorry."

There was a moment silence of silence, and then they both abruptly broke into laughter.

"We just killed a clicker!" Riley said, beaming.

"I know!"

Ellie grinned, taking her pocketknife back from Riley and wiping it off on her pants. "Where do you think it came from?"

"Maybe from the backroom of the store. We should probably get out of here."

Ellie glanced back into the darkness of the room. "Good idea."

Book and matches tucked away in Riley's backpack, they made their way carefully out of the shop, heading toward the_Sears_ store, which led to the exit.

"We need clothes. After that, we can try to find shelter for the night. We'll look for food tomorrow," Riley said. The tone of her voice made Ellie wonder if she was as confident in her planning as she wanted to appear.

_Sears _seemed the least affected by time. Apart from a considerable amount of greenery growing, it was utterly undisturbed. Clothing of all sizes and colors was stacked and hung throughout the room. Changing rooms sat to the side, stall doors hanging open.

"Well, no lines!" Riley proclaimed with a grin.

Ellie blinked, and glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

Hooking her arm through Ellie's, Riley pulled her forward. "Come on. It's time for a shopping trip."

They trotted around the store eagerly, picking up various articles and shaking them out – the clothes were coated in dust and smelled musty, and many had holes, but most were usable - and tossing them in the lone cart they found by the counter. Ellie collected mostly T-shirts and pants, along with a few long-sleeve shirts. Riley found herself a few new shirts and pairs of pants, and new jackets for both of them.

"It will get cold later," Riley explained.

"Not that soon."

"We'll need them at night."

Eventually, when they had found a few things that would fit easily in their backpacks, they set off toward the dressing rooms. Ellie hesitated at a rack holding a variety of brightly colored dresses. Some were fake silk and satin that glimmered in the light. Others were polyester and simple. Ellie lifted one from the rack, touching the shimmering turquoise fabric admiringly.

"You should try it on. Actually, hold on!"

Riley sprinted off toward some other racks, gesturing for Ellie to stay.

"Go put it on. I found something I want to try real fast, too."

"'Kay!"

Ellie walked into the first dressing room she reached and closed the door behind her. Tossing her tank top and jeans aside, she pulled the dress over her head, reaching back to zip it up afterward and then smoothing out her hair. In the cloudy mirror on the wall she caught a glimpse of herself: the blue of the dress complimented her hair and pale skin. The dress, though too large, seemed to age her. She took a step forward, the hem of the dress dragging the floor as she did.

Wiping the mirror with her hand, she stared at her reflection, receiving a look of awe from the girl in the mirror.

"Huh," she murmured to herself.

"You ready?"

Riley's voice disturbed her thoughts. She unlatched the door and stepped out, freezing in place when she saw Riley.

Donned in a black suit that hugged her form, elegant black heels, and a turquoise necklace, Riley posed before her, expression expectant.

"Holy shit."

Riley smirked, extending her hand with flourish. "I could say the same. How about a dance, m'lady?"

Ellie took it, smiling from ear to ear. "Hell yes."

Before Ellie could mention their lack of music, Riley had rested her free hand on her waist and pulled her close, nodding at Ellie's other hand. "Put your hand on my shoulder. I've seen pictures of this."

"Um, okay."

Ellie rested her palm against Riley's shoulder, looking down at their feet as Riley attempted to guide them in a circle, humming a song Ellie didn't recognize.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Who cares?"

They spun and twirled, tripping over each other's feet and giggling uncontrollably. Once, they stumbled into a rack and nearly sent it crashing over before Ellie grabbed it. Riley attempted to dip her, but then lost her balance in her heels and sent them both to the floor.

Ellie snorted. "Well, that was special."

"Hey, it wasn't just me."

They remained on the floor for a moment, a strangely content tangle of limbs and shiny fabric. Eventually, Riley sighed and stood, helping Ellie up.

"It's getting late," Riley said, glancing out the glass windows at the setting sun.

"Let's hurry, then, I guess."

They quickly tried on and found what they needed for practical clothing, and left the fancy clothes in the dressing room.

With one last wistful glance at the mall, they made their way out through the glass doors of _Sears_ and into the summer evening. The air outside was warm and thick, and smelled of earth. Riley straightened her pack and gestured toward the horizon.

"See the big building with the short shop beside it?"

"Yeah?"

"The little place used to be a grocery store. I don't know what the big one was, but I think we can stay in the generator room at the top. It'll be a hell of a climb, though. Tomorrow we can explore the grocery store and see if there's anything left. I have food in my backpack for us to eat tonight."

The walk to the building was slow and tedious, made worse by the humidity of the air. The droning of mosquitoes seemed omnipresent, and swarms of insects sparkled in the low light, looking like dust in the air. Dusk was settling, painting the sky with blues and purples and pinks like paint on a canvas. Ellie glanced from building to building, squinting to make out the features in the shadows.

"It's kind of beautiful. Apart from the mosquitoes," Ellie commented.

Riley followed her gaze, eyeing the crumbling buildings around them. "In a dark, decaying sort of way, I guess."

"Considering what the world is like now, I think it's kind of nice."

Riley's eyes fell on her as Ellie continued to look around. "Yeah, it is."

They stopped at the foot of their building, peering into the gloom through the windows.

"Well, let's get this done," Riley murmured. Ellie wasn't sure whom she was talking to.

They pushed the glass doors open quickly, pausing inside to make sure they were alone before closing them behind them. The foyer they had entered was simple and neat, with a wooden reception desk not far from the entrance, armchairs with rotting upholstery in the small sitting rooms on either side of the door.

"This must be a hotel," Riley mused, walking up the desk and looking at the bell that rested there, coated in dust.

"Seriously? That's fucking awesome. Maybe we could get the lights on here-"

"We'd have to turn on the generator, and that'd bring every infected around down on us in a second. Not worth it."

Ellie frowned. "Oh. Roof, then?"

"I guess. Let's find the stairs."

"Fine."

As they searched, Ellie glanced at Riley thoughtfully.

"So, did Marlene teach you all this survival stuff? Like, was there a handbook she gave you, or…"

"You pick it up being around the Fireflies. I mean, we all know the obvious stuff, but I'd hear them talking about missions where they lost men because they turned on a generator, or tried to take a clicker head-on… Just stuff like that. Marlene never really sat me down, or anything. I just kind of absorbed it all."

"I had this vision of them like… having a ceremony where they gave you the pendant, and maybe a set of robes…"

Riley chuckled. "No, it wasn't that glamorous."

They poked around the hallways until they found an elevator, and the signs that accompanied it that directed people to the stairwell. They found the stairs just where the signs had indicated, and they stood at the bottom for a moment, looking up the first set of steps warily, barely able to see anything in the gloom.

"Stay behind me," Riley said, heading forward.

"Riley, that's bullshit-"

"I have the gun. It's just a better idea, okay?"

Ellie resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Everything was silent and still as the climbed upward. The occasional bird would be startle awake, fluttering and cooing as it departed from its perch on the railing of the stairs – often causing them both to flinch - but nothing else moved for the first few levels.

For a brief moment, the both thought they might actually make it to the roof without incident. Of course, they couldn't be that lucky.

They first heard the shriek when they were starting up the fourth flight of stairs. Ellie immediately stooped down, Riley beside her.

"What the fuck was that?" Ellie whispered.

"Um… not a clicker?"

"Worse?"

"No. The same thing that bit through my jacket the first night you met Marlene, maybe."

"Fuck."

There were more shrieks, and they sounded within a room's distance.

"These are the smart ones, I think. And they can see, unlike the clickers."

"Shit. Well, do we shoot them?"

Riley looked down at her gun, running her finger over the trigger nervously. "If we could get somewhere they couldn't get to us I could take them out. We can't take them on hand-to-hand, and we can't shoot them face to face because they hunt like a fucking pack."

"Should we climb something?"

They glanced around, and then Riley was grabbing Ellie's hand and dragging her to the nearest hotel room, through the door that was cracked open. It clicked closed quietly behind them, and Riley leaned back against the wood with a sigh.

Riley glanced around. "Let's find something in here we can throw to get them where we want them. We need them down on this floor."

"Okay, I'm on it."

Ellie jogged to the tiny kitchen in the back of the room. On the counter, an empty beer bottle sat next to a half-eaten hamburger – it was strangely preserved, and Ellie wondered if _McDonald's_ had been a brand name for the sort of preserved food astronauts ate – and a burned out cigarette. She picked up the bottle and showed it to Riley.

"Will this do?"

"Perfect."

Riley took the bottle and returned to the door, opening it and flinging the bottle outside, closing the door again quietly before the glass shattered.

"That'll bring them down," Riley whispered, crouching beside the door.

Surely enough, the sound of footsteps immediately followed the crash, and shrieks bounced off the walls in the hall outside. Ellie shivered.

"I need you to man the door. I'm going to lean out and shoot them one at a time," Riley commanded, cocking her gun.

Ellie nodded, and grabbed the door handle. "Ready?"

Riley swallowed, and then nodded. "Yes."

Glancing out the peephole to make sure the infected weren't too close to the door, Ellie pulled it open slightly. Riley aimed through the crack immediately, firing off one shot before Ellie slammed the door.

The screeching had picked up, and was much closer now.

"Did you hit one?"

"Yeah, I think so. Get ready. There are at least three more," Riley said, cocking the gun again.

Ellie wrenched the door open, and Riley aimed the barrel out and fired two rapid shots. The crack of the gun brought more screams, and the sound of something thudding into the wall near their door. Pulse thudding in her ears, Ellie was starting to close the door when an infected slammed into it from the other side, almost crashing through.

"Riley, help!"

Riley dropped her gun to the floor and joined Ellie in shoving against the door. The stalker had forced a hand between the door and the frame, and was grabbing wildly at them. Ellie grabbed her pocketknife and passed it to Riley. "Here!"

Riley stabbed the blade into the creature's arm, earning another screech. The arm was retracted, taking the blade with it. They slammed the door, and Riley locked it for good measure.

"Okay. One hit, one miss. We're doing okay," Riley's voice shook, despite her attempt to hide it.

Ellie 's heart was racing, fluttering in her chest like a frightened bird in a cage. "How many are left?"

"Two."

Exchanging nervous glances, they returned to their positions. Riley gave a nod, and Ellie unlocked and opened the door. Another two shots were fired.

Ellie was preparing to shut the door when she heard Riley cry out in surprise.

"Oh, fuck-"

A stalker, one who had once been a large, thickly built man, shoved its way through the door, sending Ellie sprawling backward. It sprung at Riley, pinning her to the floor and knocking her gun aside.

"Ellie!"

Riley's voice was desperate, and Ellie scrambled to her feet frantically. Moving entirely on instinct, she lunged, wrapping her arm around the stalker's neck and pulling it off Riley. She fell backward, the infected still in a chokehold and struggling violently, screams filling the room. It had almost turned itself around to face her when Riley's boot in its side sent it tumbling over. Aiming her gun and shooting three bullets into its head, Riley stepped over Ellie and landed a kick in the creature's side, and then another, her chest heaving as she did.

"Riley! Riley, it's dead, it's okay."

Riley dropped her gun and stumbled backward. She turned and grabbed Ellie's arms roughly. "Are you okay? Ellie!" Her voice was raw.

"I'm fine," Ellie whispered. "I promise."

Riley stared at her for a moment, deciding the truth of her words for herself, before yanking her into a hug. Ellie returned it eagerly, burying her face in Riley's shoulder, mumbling comforts as she did.

"No bites?" Riley asked, her voice muffled.

"No bites," Ellie confirmed, tightening her arms around Riley's neck.

Riley nodded into her shoulder, and then pulled back.

They fell silent for a moment, and then Ellie glanced toward the double bed, its quilts and pillows practically beckoning.

"Maybe we should stay here tonight."

Riley frowned, looking slightly conflicted for a moment. "Yeah, that'd probably be better."

On shaky legs, they drug the stalker from the room and into the hall, closing and locking the door before tossing their packs aside and flopping down on the bed.

"That was intense," Ellie said, turning her head to look at Riley, whose eyes were closed as she waited for her breathing to return to normal.

"Yeah. I fucked up at the end-"

"No, you didn't. It's fine, Riley. We're fine."

Riley's hand found hers, and squeezed it firmly. "Yeah, we are."

They said nothing else that night, sleeping soundly until the light of dawn spilling through the window woke them the next morning.


	2. Chapter 2

"And of course they had to be in the fucking grocery store," Ellie muttered, peeking past Riley and through the smudged windows of the supermarket.

"Nothing can be easy, can it?"

"Nah. So, how do you want to do this?"

Riley sighed, sliding her gun back onto her belt. "Runners are easy – well, in comparison to the others. We just have to sneak up on them."

"Sounds a little easier said than done."

"Better than wasting bullets."

From their position by the open door, they could make out the faint groans and yelps of the runners inside. Riley stepped forward, retrieving a broken shard of a beam from the ground. The wood formed a sharp point, and Riley tested it against her hand delicately, giving a satisfied nod. "This'll do. Remind me to pick up another knife for me when we can."

"Alright," Ellie replied, flipping open her pocketknife. Blood from the stalker they had killed the night before was still caked on the blade.

Riley glanced back at her. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Taking the lead, Riley climbed through the busted window on the opposite side of the door, landing silently inside. Ellie followed after, and they squinted into the darkness together, taking count of the infected.

Ellie held up four fingers, and then gave a slight shrug. Riley nodded, and then crept to the left side of the store. In the aisle closest to the wall, a runner stood, its back to them. Riley gestured for Ellie to stay, and then stalked slowly forward, weapon at the ready. She leapt up, grabbing the creature and shoving the wood into its neck in one fluid motion. Ellie watched, impressed, as Riley caught the runner before it hit the floor, giving a small grunt as its weight fell against her. Riley beckoned her forward, and they set off to hunt down the next one.

Stalk, grab, stab, drop.  
Stalk, grab, stab, drop.  
Stalk, grab, stab, drop.

Ellie took one, and Riley took the rest. When the fourth had been lowered to the floor, and a look around had confirmed that it was the last one, Ellie clapped Riley on the shoulder and grinned. "Fuck yeah!"

Riley chuckled. "Come on, let's go find some food."

As expected, the shelves were mainly empty. Some were tipped over. Ellie found old blood smeared on one corner of a toppled shelf, and what appeared to be the remains of a body next to it.

"Shit."

Riley shook her head. "From what I've heard, people turned into fucking animals when things first went down."

Ellie's gaze lingered on the bones for a moment, and then she looked away. "Let's just go find what we need and then get the fuck out of here."

Nodding wordlessly, Riley led them toward the aisle whose sign listed canned goods, among other things.

The shelves were entirely bare. Riley shook her head, and then suddenly dropped to the floor and rested her cheek against the tiles.

"Bingo!"

"What-?"

Riley crawled forward and reached under the shelf, pulling out a dusty, dented can. "Stuff got dropped, so people missed it. Lucky for us, right?"

Ellie stared wide-eyed at the can, and then joined Riley on the floor. They found a total of four cans that had rolled underneath the shelves. The labels were faded, but all seemed intact.

"Perfect," Riley said, staring at the cans with the expression most people reserve for fine art.

"Let's hope it's something good. That dried food in your pack sucked."

"I didn't see you offering anything."

They searched the rest of the store thoroughly, finding supplies under the counter by the register, where an employee that had once worked at the store seemed to have been hoarding things. They found rubbing alcohol, Band-Aids, a can opener, another set of matches, antibiotic ointment, hydrogen peroxide, medicine used for reducing fever, iodine, a pot for cooking over a fire, a reusable water bottle, a few more cans of food, and a surgeon's mask.

Riley picked up the mask and raised an eyebrow. "I hope they didn't think that'd keep out spores."

"What do people use for that?"

"Gas masks. We might need that eventually, but as long as we stay away from enclosed spaces with infected we should be alright."

Ellie nodded. "Okay. Well, that's medical supplies."

"Yeah. I wonder why they left this stuff."

Ellie glanced in the direction of the body that lay by the toppled shelf. "They probably had to take off before they could grab it."

As they were walking out the door Riley froze, eyes widening. "Hold on, I just had a thought. Stay here."

She was running to the back of the store before Ellie could reply. She came back a minute later toting a bottle of champagne.

"We don't need to get drunk if-"

"We'll just have a little. Come on, Ellie."

Ellie took the bottle and eyed it suspiciously. "It still sounds like a bad idea."

"Oh, hush. We're out here to live, aren't we?"

"Exactly. Let's not do something stupid."

Riley just snorted. "Come on. Food, alcohol, the sunset… Sounds like a lovely evening, don't you think?"

Ellie couldn't deny that.

* * *

Among the cans of food they had found were chicken soup and canned fruit, which they opened that night as they sat on a pile of quilts against the wall of the generator room, watching the sun sink beyond the horizon. Riley had draped her legs over Ellie's in a lazy, catlike manner, and had commandeered her Walkman from her pack, taking one earbud and giving Ellie the other. They were listening to a track on the mixed tape that Ellie had grown to favor.

_But we're young,_  
_Open flowers in the windy fields of this war-torn world_

Riley gave a contented sigh, slouching back against the bricks and closing her eyes. "You know, I could get used to this."

Ellie smiled, taking a sip from the bottle of champagne – she had cringed at the pungent taste at first, but had quickly gotten used to it and come to enjoy it – before passing it back to Riley.

"How long do you want to stay here?"

Riley opened her eyes. "We just got here."

"I know, but… I mean, where do you want to go next?"

Riley sat up, looking over the rooftops pensively. "I have a few ideas."

"Like?"

Riley only offered an enigmatic smirk and shrug, and "Oh, you'll see. It's a surprise."

"Uh-huh. You have absolutely no idea, do you?"

"I do, too."

"Then tell me."

Riley sighed. "Alright, fine, you spoilsport. You ever hear of Mystic Lakes?"

"No?"

"They're these huge, gorgeous lakes toward the middle of the state. I figured it'd be a cool place to go, and I could teach you how to swim."

Ellie's eyes-widened. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Glancing away, Ellie tried to contain the grin that was spreading across her features. She heard Riley chuckle.

"So," Riley said, taking a swig of the champagne and passing it back to Ellie, "you want to head out in the next few days? I still have a map of the state Marlene gave me. We're not far from the lakes."

"That'd be awesome."

Riley nodded, and then lifted the bottle skyward. "To new adventures."

Ellie placed her hand over Riley's on the bottle. "To new adventures."

They spent the rest of the evening watching the daylight fade, occasionally sipping at the champagne or picking at the fruit, exchanging casual chatter and enjoying the languid haze that good food and good company brings about.

Eventually, Riley fell asleep, her head rested on top of Ellie's. Ellie had her cheek pressed against Riley's shoulder, her nose in the crook of her neck. The champagne and the warmth of Riley's body pressed against hers soon dragged her under, a small smile on her face all the while.

* * *

Riley woke first the next morning, finding Ellie's arm wrapped around her, her face nuzzled into her neck. She spent a moment gazing at her, at the numerous freckles on her cheeks and nose, at the rise and fall of her chest, telling herself she was avoiding waking her simply because Ellie could use the extra sleep.

* * *

They set off for the lakes at noon, consulting Riley's map and compass before departing, and gauging the trip to be at least a day's worth of walking away.

"So who taught you to swim?" Ellie asked as they made their way carefully between broken down cars on the street, their packs bouncing against their backs.

"Uh, an old friend."

"Who?"

"You never met him."

"Yeah, but I'd still like to know about him."

Riley kept her gaze forward. "He lived where I used to live with my parents. Before stuff got really bad in our area, he and I used to hangout."

"Oh. Where'd he teach you to swim?"

"A pond near my house. I sucked at it at first, but eventually I could outswim him."

"What happened to him?"

"You're all questions today, aren't you?"

Ellie waited patiently for an answer.

"He… got infected. Same thing that happens to everyone."

"I'm sorry."

Riley shook her head, scoffing quietly. "His name was Anthony."

Ellie didn't respond, following behind silently. Eventually, she caught up with Riley and they walked side by side, staying closer than necessary.

* * *

The sun was dipping below the horizon when they caught sight of the surface of the lake in the distance, glimmering like shattered glass.

"What do you think?" Riley asked, gazing at the expanse of the lake. "Looks like a nice place to camp, dontcha think?"

A soft "oh" was the only response Ellie could muster.

Riley grinned, grabbing her hand. "If we run we can probably making to the shore before the sun sets. Come on!"

They ran, hand in hand, weaving between trees and clambering over fallen logs. They passed the occasional abandoned house, pausing to scout for any signs of infected before taking off again, electrified by the feeling that come from running simply for the joy of it. They were breathless by the time they reached the sand and sharp, sparse grass of the shore, and they collapsed together, hearts thudding in their chests.

"That… was fun," Ellie said between breaths.

Riley only nodded, her head rested on her backpack.

They said nothing more as they caught their breath. Before they spoke again, night had settled over the land, and the moon was shining, full and brilliant, on the surface of the lake.

"This place is perfect," Ellie said, so quietly that Riley wondered if she was even talking to her.

"We can figure out camp tomorrow." Riley yawned, stretching out and gazing up at the star-splattered sky.

Ellie rested her head on Riley's shoulder. "'Kay."

She could feel Riley's chest shake with quiet laughter. Somewhere between annoyed and embarrassed she started to sit up, only to be pulled back down.

"Don't go getting mad at me. You're just really cuddly. It's kind of cute."

Ellie only responded with an indignant noise.

* * *

The next morning, after they had boiled water and dined on a bit of trail mix – when Ellie had realized that Riley favored the walnuts she had avoided picking them out – Riley declared that they were going swimming. Without further hesitation, she tossed her jeans and shirt in her bag and waded out into the shallows of the lake in her tank top and boxers, waving Ellie after her.

Ellie stood at the edge of the water and frowned down at it.

"Ellie, I swear to God if you don't come here I will drag you in."

"I believe you."

Warily, she waded out, jeans left in the grass.

She stood waist-deep in the water and watched Riley as she glided around gracefully, displaying different swimming styles and listing their names, only a few of which Ellie remembered. She led Ellie a little further out into the lake and explained the concept of treading water, which Ellie caught on to quickly with a little coaching.

_"No, don't kick that hard."_

_"Uh, okay."_

_"Relax, Ellie. You're fine. If you're tense you're just going to sink, and use more energy trying to keep yourself up."_

_"Got it."_

They moved on to the practicing the doggy paddle, which Ellie found greatly amusing, and quite useful for randomly splashing Riley in the face.

_"You know, that was only funny after the second time."_

_"Really? I still find it funny."_

A few hours later, Ellie had mastered a few basic styles – between splash breaks - and was successfully able to dive down. Limbs heavy with exhaustion and fingers wrinkled, they decided to give it rest after the third time Ellie had come up sputtering and hissing under her breath after inhaling a nose full of water.

"Well, that was fun," Riley said, hiding a smirk when Ellie shot her a glare.

"Your idea of fun is watching me suffer. You didn't say learning to swim would be so annoying."

"Oh, come on. Get over it. You need to learn, and I know you had fun. Besides, you just stopped being mad at me the other day."

Ellie huffed and crossed her arms dramatically. "Well, now I've started again." Despite her best efforts, she was unable to hide her smile.

Riley sighed. "Let's go look around. Maybe we can find you a gun in one of the cabins we passed on the way here."

They tossed on their shoes, and jeans over still damp shorts, a set off into the brush, weapons in hand.

The woods around them were alive with birdsong, and smelled of the dying summer. They traveled in comfortable silence, watching the midafternoon light ignite the trees with green flames. The cabins they sought were only a short walk from the shore of the lake, each a decent distance from one another, and surrounded by rotten fencing. Riley pushed open the gate, readying her gun when the board snapped and the gate crashed from the hinges, clattering against the stone walkway obnoxiously loud.

If there were infected inside, they weren't alerted by the noise. Riley stalked toward the house, finger resting on the trigger of her gun, Ellie watching her back. They peaked through the window and then climbed in, sneaking glances around each corner and continuing to be greeted by nothing more than dusty halls and rooms, tipped over chairs and abandoned clothing draped over furniture. The place had a fetid stench to it, and Riley wrinkled her nose.

"This place smells like shit." She paused, frowning. "Actually, it smells like death."

"Maybe rotting food?" Ellie asked, looking in a bathroom and finding it strewn with toiletry items, though nothing of use.

"Maybe."

They stepped into a bedroom, finding it in a similar state to the rest of the house.

"Looks like someone left in a hurry," Riley noted, kicking aside a shirt.

"Apparently."

In the dining room, they found a few cans of food stacked on the table, and some sports drink mix.

"Why would they have left this?" Ellie asked. She turned the can over in her hand thoughtfully. "Actually, this looks fresher than the rest of the stuff here. It's not as dusty."

"Well… this would explain it," Riley called from the next room. Ellie jogged to join her, following her gaze to the bodies that lay feet from each other in the middle of the dingy carpet.

One was an infected – a clicker, from the looks of the rotting Cordyceps on its head. The other was a man, who looked to have once had short red hair. The bodies were bloated and covered in flies, and both girls covered their noses.

"Shit," Ellie muttered.

"This is recent." Wariness laced Riley's tone.

They spent a moment more staring at the bodies. Ellie stepped forward and picked up the knife that had once belonged to the man.

"Well… you needed a knife."

Riley shook her head. "Poor dude."

They left the room quickly, deciding to scan the upstairs for anything useful. Neither of them wanted to stay there longer than necessary.

They walked into separate rooms, deciding splitting up would hasten the search. Ellie opened a closet, and then gave a small cry of delight.

"Oh, fuck yes!"

Riley glanced up from the drawers she was searching. "Did you find a gun?"

"No, better!"

Ellie trotted into the room, toting a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows, beaming. Riley raised an eyebrow. "That's better?"

"Yes, because I'm fucking awesome with a bow."

"Since when?"

"Since I stole one at the first school I got kicked out of." She hesitated, and then shrugged. "Well, it got confiscated, but I taught myself a lot while I had it."

"Oh, cool. Maybe we can hunt with it?"

"Even better than that. I could take it a few clickers easy."

Riley gave an approving nod, and then closed the drawer she had been searching, finding nothing useful inside. She headed out the door, Ellie on her heels. "Let's get out of here. This place gives me the major creeps."

They tramped down the stairs and out into the garden, Ellie slinging the bow over her shoulder and sliding the arrows into her backpack.

Outside, the shadows were lengthening, stretching and grasping at them like hands as they passed. A breeze had picked up, fluttering their clothing about them.

When they were within five minutes of the lake, Ellie's hand on Riley's arm stilled her. They both froze, and Ellie put a finger to her lips and then gestured toward the lake.

Drifting toward them on the wind, though barely audible, were voices, coming from where they had been camping.

Ellie and Riley exchanged glances, and then drew their weapons, Ellie notching an arrow in her bow and Riley cocking her gun. Staying side by side, they crept toward the shore, only their soft footfalls and shallow, nervous breaths accompanying them.

They stayed behind trees, peeking around them before progressing forward. They had reached the final trunks before the sand picked up when they heard the voices again.

"You sure you saw girls?"

"Of course. Are you questioning me?"

"No, sir."

"Good. I would be surprised if you were questioning me. And quite disappointed."

The second voice had an edge to it that made Riley's skin craw. She glanced back at Ellie to assure herself that she was safe before peeking out to examine the man. He was tall and well built, wearing a button up shirt and jeans. His hair was blond and combed smoothly against his head, and his face was handsome and clean-shaven. He walked with an air of authority, seeming to be looking at their footprints in the sand. Riley noticed he carried a rifle slung over his shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, she signaled to Ellie that she was heading out.

"Who's there?" Riley demanded in a tone she hoped sounded like Marlene's when she was giving orders.

There was a moment of silence, and then the blond man called out. "Hello! You don't have to hide. We don't mean any harm."

Gun at the ready, Riley peered around the tree and then stepped out, hearing Ellie follow behind her.

The man gave her a smile that was all teeth. Too much teeth, in fact. Riley suppressed a shiver.

"Well, hello there! My name is Adam Davis." The same toothy, snarl of a smile. "This here's Charles Beckart. Pleased to meet you."

He held out a clean, manicured hand.

Riley kept her finger on the trigger. "What do you want?"

The man's cheerful expression flickered for a moment, and then the hand dropped and the smile returned. "Just to say hello! It seems strange to see two young girls out by their lonesome. You two are alone, aren't you?"

Riley hesitated, weighing her options before giving a curt nod.

Ellie stepped forward, her arrow aimed at the Adam's chest. "You've said hello. You can leave now."

Adam shrugged his shoulders and took a step back. "There's nothing to be afraid of, girls. See, we're from a big group. We've got women, children – some of them your age. We've been scouting the area to see if we could find more people to join our little family. If you two are interested, there's plenty of room for you. We have food, shelter, animals… even things like school books and fancy soap." He gave a chuckle that seemed artificial. "We're building a haven – a paradise in this harsh, unforgiving world."

"I think we're good," Riley said flatly.

"Why don't you just come to visit for a while? You'd be free to leave at any time, I swear to the Big Man." Another plastic chuckle, and he touched his hand to his heart and then raised it toward the sky.

"We're going to talk about this privately for a moment." Riley spat the words out quickly and then grabbed Ellie's arm and towed her into the trees. Once out of sight, she looked at her anxiously.

"What the fuck do we do?" Riley's tone was steady, but the underlying fear was obvious.

Ellie glanced back toward where the men stood. "Maybe we should go with them."

"Are you crazy?"

"Think about it. They know we're alone, and from what they said they have reinforcements. We probably couldn't win in a fight unless we snuck up on them."

"Maybe we could run?"

Ellie shook her head. "We could get separated that way."

"Fuck."

"Look, they say they have food, and they sure as hell look like they're well fed. We could just go with them, and then get out if things look weird. Maybe we could actually pick up some useful stuff. We still need a second gun, right?"

Riley nodded hesitantly.

"We'll keep our weapons on us. We'll be fine."

"Are you sure about this?"

"No."

Biting her lip, Riley glanced toward the men again. "Fine. Stay close to me no matter what, got it?"

"Of course."

They marched out together, hands still on their weapons.

Ellie spoke first. "We'll go with you."

His smile was back, glaring like a fluorescent light. "Fantastic! Come along. We're only about a half hour walk from the village."

Adam set off energetically, Charles at his side. Ellie and Riley trailed after him, a sense of unease settling over them like falling snow.

"So, what are your names?" Adam asked jovially, glancing back at them.

Reluctantly, Ellie introduced them.

"I'm Ellie. She's Riley."

"Ah. How long have you two been traveling alone?"

They didn't respond.

"Where'd you come from?" he tried.

Silence.

The man shrugged finally. "That's fine. You don't have to tell me anything."

Riley rolled her eyes.

As promised, the village was only a short walk away. They arrived at electric fences and a solid wooden gate whose top was formed by crude spikes. The wire of the fence was taut, and seemed well maintained.

Adam rapped on the gate.

"Let us on in, Ralph! We've got two lovely young ladies here who'd probably like a nice warm dinner."

The gate was drawn open, and they were led through. They followed Adam down a narrow, tidy little street. The town was mostly dark, though lights could be seen in some of the cabins.

"Where is everyone?" Ellie asked warily.

"Most of them are having supper. Tonight you two will stay in our little guesthouse – all new visitors stay there the first night. We have venison and carrots roasted for dinner, and plenty of fresh, clean water."

They passed a few more cabins and stopped at large, imposing house. The light spilling from the windows was warm and inviting. Ellie and Riley exchanged uncertain glances as Adam led them up the stairs. Charles had left them along the way, going into one of the cabins they had passed.

The air inside was startlingly cool, like stepping into cold water.

"Is that…?" Riley began.

"Yes. Air conditioning is running in all the residences. Generators do wonders. Now, this will be your room for the night. I'll have the food sent up."

He opened the door of a small, simple room with two beds and a small dresser with a vanity. The flooring and walls were wood, and the place smelled of pine. There was a door that looked like it led to a bathroom in the back of the room. They stepped inside and he closed the door quietly behind them. They waited until the sound of his footsteps had faded before they spoke.

"Well, this looks nice," Ellie offered, touching the clean, soft quilts of one bed. They were decorated with little flowers, and looked handmade.

"It looks like a prison cell," Riley said flatty, dropping down on the bed.

Ellie shrugged, and sat down beside her. "We won't stay long. We'll just look around tomorrow, see if we can get some supplies, and then get the hell out."

Riley shook her head, eyes closed. "Is anything ever that simple?"


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry this took so long; there's a lot going on in this chapter, so I wanted to spend some time making sure it flowed right. There might be mistakes, since I haven't had anyone go over it yet. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it.**

* * *

The light of dawn was just starting to trickle through the crack in the curtains when they woke the next morning. They had spent the night in the same bed, Riley too anxious to sleep until the early hours.

Ellie took note of the exhaustion in Riley's eyes as she rubbed the sleep out of her own. "Did you sleep at all?"

"Some."

Ellie pushed the quilt aside and clambered out of bed, looking out the window over the roofs of the neighboring houses. The waxing moon lingered in the sky, looking faded and ghostly in the morning light. It was nearly full.

"As creepy as that guy is, the town is actually kind of pretty."

Riley gave a noncommittal hum.

As Ellie was just about to ask her if she needed to rest more, there was a knocking on the door. It opened quickly after, before either of them had a chance to respond.

"Good morning, ladies!" It was Adam, his faultless smile still in place, two pieces of clothing draped over his arm. Ellie wondered if his mouth was stuck like that.

"I thought you two might be able to use these, seeing as your clothes are probably pretty tired."

He handed Ellie the clothing, and she unfolded it to reveal two flowery, dowdy sundresses. She blinked, and then offered them back.

"Um… thanks for the offer, but we have extra clothing."

She caught sight of the look of revulsion on Riley's face when she saw the fabric, and almost giggled.

Adam folded his hands together, and chuckled, though the sound seemed forced, as if it was something he was reminding himself to do. "I'm sure that you do, but, see, we have a bit of a dress code here. People get used to things being a certain way, and with it being such a turbulent world… Well, we try not to upset things."

"People are afraid of different clothing?" Riley asked blankly.

"People are used to a set of ideals. It's what the world is built on, really. Or, used to be. Now, I certainly hope it won't be an issue for you to comply to this one, simple rule?"

Riley's expression was still blank.

Ellie decided to answer before Riley came up with whatever sarcastic remark she was brewing. "Sure, whatever."

Adam grinned again. "Excellent. Ex-cell-ent. Now, if you two would like to get dressed and tidied up, there's going to be a community breakfast in the church."

He started out the door, and then turned around, glancing at the second bed, whose quilt was still tucked and unrumpled, and then at the one Ellie and Riley had slept in. He frowned – though even that face seemed like a cheap parody of an actual expression – and then looked at Ellie and Riley. "You already made the other bed?"

Ellie took a moment to answer, caught off-guard by the question. "Um, yeah?"

He scrutinized them for a moment, and then gave a nod and left.

"…The fuck?" Riley was still staring at the closed door in wonder. She returned her gaze to Ellie. "What the hell is up with that guy?"

Ellie shook her head, tossing her shirt and jeans in her backpack and begrudgingly pulling the dress over her head, the stiff fabric scratching her skin.

"You're seriously going to wear that?"

Ellie shrugged. "Just until we have what we need. Besides, I kind of want to see if everyone is as weird as that guy."

She paused, glancing at her backpack and then pulling her pocketknife from it and tucking it into the waistband of her shorts. Just in case.

Riley watched her with an expression Ellie couldn't place. Maybe it was approval. Or admiration.

"You coming?" Ellie asked, pulling her backpack over her shoulders.

Riley grumbled quietly the whole time she got dressed.

Adam was waiting for them outside the house in the stark light of the rising sun, and he wasn't alone. At his side stood a girl who looked to be their age, wearing a dress similar to theirs, with hair that was pulled back neatly. Her eyes were downcast as they approached.

"Ellie, Riley, this is my daughter, Amelia. Amelia, say hello."

The girl lifted her gaze for a fraction of a second and mumbled a quiet hello before dropping her eyes again. She had her father's hair, but her eyes were softer, and her face much less stiff.

"Amelia will take you on a tour of the town, to help you get settled. Remember to mind the fence: it's powerful enough to fry a man." He clapped his hands together. "Breakfast will be at ten. I'll leave you to get acquainted."

He turned on his heel and walked toward what Ellie assumed was the church. It was, by far, the largest building in the town, its spire stabbing at at the orange-and-purple sky.

Once her father was out of earshot, Amelia turned to them and gave a self-conscious smile.

"Where would you like to start?" her voice was small and soft.

"Look, we're really not planning to stay long-" Ellie began.

"I'm supposed to show you around," Amelia insisted, in the same uncertain voice.

Ellie and Riley glanced at each other, and Riley shrugged.

Riley scanned the houses around them, watching a man lead a large hound out of his door. "Do you guys have stores here?"

Amelia nodded.

"Could you take us to one?"

"Of course." Amelia turned and started off down the street, not looking to see if they were following her.

The town was smaller than they had originally realized: it only took a short walk to arrive at the small, quaint little store, which formed part of the square that surrounded the church. Amelia walked inside, leaving them standing on the porch.

A rack of clothing stood by the door –button up shirts and simple dresses on hangers were dangling from it, and a basket of what appeared to be stockings sat beneath it – and a hand-carved sign hung above the doorframe.

"And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God," Riley read. She raised an eyebrow. "Weird."

Ellie shrugged, and pushed open the screen door, Riley following after her.

The store was a cramped, cluttered tangle of scents and supplies. The shelves were stacked with items, ranging from toiletries to books – closer examination proved them to all have "God" somewhere in the description on the back – to canned food to house cleaning items.

They had stopped at the bookshelves once more when Amelia, who had left them to wander around the store, joined them again.

"Do you guys have any comics?" Ellie asked, running her hand over the spines of the nearest shelf of books.

Amelia's brow wrinkled. "I'm not sure what that is."

Ellie cast Riley an incredulous glance.

"Okay, never mind." How do you guys pay for things?"

"We have a barter system."

"Right."

They found the counter tucked behind another row of shelves, and large, ruddy-cheeked woman looked up from the book she was reading and smiled when they approached.

"What can I do for you today, honey?"

"Um, do you guys sell ammo?" As she spoke, Riley glanced behind the counter, wondering if they stored it there.

The woman tilted her head. "That's a strange question."

"It is?"

"Bless your heart, you must be new here. Only the men are allowed guns." Her eyes fell to the gun on Riley's belt, and she looked uncomfortable.

Ellie gawked. "Are you fucking serious?"

The woman's eyes widened like she'd been struck. "Don't say that!"

"Say what?"

"That word! It's forbidden. Heavens, you two have a great deal to learn if you want to fit in here."

Ellie caught Riley's eye, and then flicked her gaze to the door.

"Okay, look, Ellie and I are going to go talk outside. Alright?" Riley's tone was forceful, and neither the woman nor Amelia offered any opposition.

Once back out in the breezy air, they glanced at each other and then at the store.

"What the fuck? Seriously," Riley hissed.

"I have no idea, but let's just get the hell out of here."

A little ways down the street was the wooden gate, which was still locked.

"You think they'll just let us out?" Ellie muttered, eyes traveling the electric fence.

"No, not really."

"Do you think the fence is as powerful as he said?"

"If it can keep out infected, then yeah."

"How do you want to do this?"

Riley shrugged a shoulder. "Let's just… play along."

"Seriously?"

"So long as they don't try to take our weapons we should be okay. We'll look around the town, figure out how to get out of the gate, and sneak out tonight. These people are fucked up, but they don't seem that dangerous."

"We stay together though, no matter what."

Riley nodded. They left the alley and returned to the porch of the store, where Amelia was waiting for them.

"So, you said you wanted to show us around?" Ellie asked, surprised by the cold look she received in return.

"Yes. You've seen the store. I'll show you the school next, and then the church, for breakfast."

"Um, okay. Thanks."

There was no response. Amelia set off walking, and they trailed after her. Ellie noticed Riley's hand lingered near her gun.

The school was a dull, one-room, brick building. Rows of desks sat in front of a chalkboard, which was covered in what looked like the remainders of a lesson. On the desk in front of the chalkboard was a stack of books. The top one was labeled _King James Bible._

Ellie had heard it mentioned before. One girl at her first school had had a copy of it, which had been marked up by a pen, certain passages circled. They girl had kept it by her bed at all times, and Ellie had once flipped through it once, wondering why it seemed to bring the girl so much comfort. The writing was strange, and seemed dull.

Ellie flipped open the copy she had found, and read the first page she came to.

_Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. **25 **Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. **26 **But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt._

She shrugged and closed it.

Notebooks sat on the children's desks, and Riley flipped one open at random. Written at the top of the page in neat script was "The Ten Commandments."

Riley read through them, and then snorted.

"Something funny?" Amelia asked flatly.

Riley shrugged. "'Thou shalt not kill?' Seems a little outdated."

Amelia only looked at her darkly.

"Can we go see the church now?" Ellie interjected.

Amelia nodded wordlessly. Her gaze was still fixed on Riley, and she looked almost pitying.

The morning sun warmed their backs as they walked to the church. Their first impression of the building hadn't done it justice; it was even larger up close. Lush rose bushes surrounded it, and a white brick walkway led to the door.

To the side of the church stood a large cross, at least twice the height of a man. Ellie and Riley walked to stand at the base of it, looking up at the weatherworn wood. There were holes in certain parts of the boards, near the ends of the horizontal board, and towards the middle of the vertical one. The wood was stained around these holes.

Ellie could feel gooseflesh rise on her arms, though she wasn't sure why. Riley noticed her expression and touched her arm. "Let's go."

They wandered into the church through the heavy oak doors and into a room that smelled of dust and candles.

Stained glass windows faced the east, depicting what appeared to be a man in the clouds. They looked at it wonderingly.

"You ever see anything like this?" Riley asked, glancing at Ellie.

"No. It's kind of cool."

People were mingling among the pews, women all in dresses, most men in suits. Adam walked over to them, a pretty woman on his arm. She favored Amelia.

"Hello, girls! I'd like you to meet my wife. Mary, this is Ellie and Riley."

The woman gave them a gentle smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. They was a faded bruise on her left cheekbone. "Good morning, girls."

Riley offered her hand, and noticed that Mary caught her husband's eye for permission before shaking it.

"The service is just about to start, and then we'll have a grand breakfast. Feel free to look around for a while," Adam said. His eyes were on Riley's gun, and then flickered to Ellie's bow. He tsked. "I'll have to ask you to give me those, though. We don't want the women here thinking they're in some sort of danger here, do we?"

Riley backed up a step, though still keeping herself between Ellie and Adam. "We're keeping them. You have a gun."

Adam tilted his head, his gaze intently focused on Riley. She was reminded, briefly, of a bird of prey. Maybe a hawk. "Yes, but I'm the leader. Two little girls with weapons is a little different, and I'm afraid we can't afford to upset the peace. Hand them over."

"No," Riley hissed. "I don't think you want to make a scene in front of these people, do you?"

The smile that had been lingering on his face was gone in a flash, replaced by something nearly as unnerving, and much more real. He stared at them unblinking for a moment, and then turned and walked away, Mary trotting after him, casting one nervous look back at Ellie and Riley as she did.

They stood in the middle of the hall between the pews for a moment, and then, staying so close their hands brushed, walked to the right side of the room where a painting hung, taking up a large portion of the wall.

The picture was far from pleasant. The bottom half of the scene was painted in hues of red and brown, and depicted death: Infected by the hundreds ripped the flesh of terrified, screaming men and women, and the ground was soaked with blood. The upper part of the picture showed the sky in hues of gold and blue, clouds backlit by the sun. There were people in the clouds, and people rising toward them, all basked in glowing light.

"What the hell…?" Riley muttered. She could feel Ellie tense beside her.

"Riley…"

Her fingers brushed a plaque underneath the painting. Its title read _The Rapture_, and underneath it in smaller text was written "the punishment of the sinners and the ascension of the pure."

"Christ." Riley shook her head wonderingly. "What is this even supposed to mean?"

"I have no idea, but I don't like it."

They quickly distanced themselves from the painting, and eventually found the breakfast table, which was laden with different dishes, ranging from what looked like eggs and chicken to sausage.

They piled their plates and took their food outside, deciding to sit on one of the benches in the garden.

"So," Riley asked between mouthfuls, "what do you think is up with these people?"

"Who knows. Why do you think they won't let the women have guns?"

"Dunno, but it's really weird."

They finished their food, and then set the chipped plates aside and leaned back against the bench, looking at the clouds that were gathering on the horizon.

"I think it's going to storm tonight." As she spoke, Ellie brushed her shoes against the grass, wondering at how neatly trimmed it was.

After sitting in silence for a while longer, they returned to the church's porch, and stood listening as the preacher began the sermon.

"We gather here today by the grace of God. It is He who protects and shepherds us, He who delivers us from the Hell that has befallen his creation."

There was a pause, like the preacher was deciding what to say next.

"The world in which we live is being cleansed, being reformed. The flood has come once more, but this time the seas are blood."

A pause.

"I remind you all of this, and I remind you to make sure that your soul is as clean and clear as the Heavens above. Repent, lest your join those who brought this plague upon the lands, those who live in sin and ignorance."

"Wanna start looking for a way out now?" Ellie's tone was light, but far from jocular.

"Yeah… let's do that."

They spent at least two hours wandering around the town. The found a barn, which seemed well stocked with horses and animal feed. There was a small, locked shed near it, and the hum of a generator could be heard within it.

They found another locked building near the gate that seemed to have once been a toolshed.

"What do you bet they keep the weapons in there?" Riley asked, circling the building and finding it windowless.

"Probably. Looks pretty solid, though."

"Yeah. Bleh."

They eventually decided just the walk along the fence, listening to the wire twanging in the breeze.

"Maybe we can just shut off that generator tonight, and then slip through the fence," Riley said, tossing a rock at the wire and watching it bounce off.

"If you think that'd work."

"I don't see another option."

"We could talk to Adam."

"We can try, but I still don't think they're going to let us leave with permission. He seems pretty hell-bent on keeping us here."

After thoroughly exploring the town, they eventually sat down in the shade of the house they had spent the night in, wiping the sweat from their brows.

It was then that he approached them. It occurred to Ellie later that he had probably been following them most of the time.

Adam separated from the shadows near the front of the alley formed between the houses, a flash of white teeth in the dark. "What are you two doing out here?"

He approached them slowly, his pace almost lazy.

"Look, we appreciate your hospitality and all, but I don't think we'll be staying," Riley said hesitantly, watching as he continued to move closer to them.

Adam looked perplexed. "And why is that?"

"We need to get on the road again." As she spoke, Ellie took a step back, pulling Riley with her.

"It's not safe for two young girls out there. We have everything one could want here: food, protection, guidance…"

Riley snorted. "Right. Are you protecting the women by not letting them have guns?"

Adam started to speak, but Riley cut him off.

"I don't know what the fuck you people think you're doing here, but-"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence. With no warning, Adam closed the distance between them in one stride and brought the back of his left hand down harshly against Riley's cheek. She tumbled to the ground, startled.

"Riley!" Ellie's hand was reaching for her bow, but Adam was faster. His rifle was aimed at Riley's chest before Ellie had her arrow notched. He gestured with the gun, and Ellie dropped the bow to the ground and kicked it to him, teeth gritted. He demanded Riley's gun as well, and Ellie threw it to his feet.

"Things are run a certain way here, girls. I am responsible for these people, my flock. I find people outside this town, and I return them to the fold. I serve God by cleansing this world, and reforming those who I can. I'm trying to help you." He looked at them with an expression that seemed almost genuine. Almost. "If you would simply let me guide you, let me lead you to the light, you would have everything you could ask for."

He began to walk around them, rifle still focused on Riley. "You could have a life here. We need girls, especially young ones. We have so many young men without wives…"

Ellie stepped closer to Riley.

"Ellie, Riley… you could so easily be saved, if you would only give the Lord a chance. You are his children, as we all are. Don't contribute to the sin that brought this world to ruin. Rise above. One day, we will all be rewarded."

He smiled at them again, and Riley felt sick.

"Now, no more of this nonsense. Return to your room, and think over what I've said."

He gestured for them to get up, and they did. They were walked inside the large house, and to the snug room that suddenly seemed so much more like a cage.

When he left them, he took their backpacks with him.

Riley sat down silently on the bed. Ellie joined her. After a moment, she reached out shyly and stroked her thumb over the bruise that was forming on Riley's cheek.

"Fucking asshole."

Riley smiled at her, though it was a strained one. She reached up and grabbed Ellie's hand in hers, and pressed a soft kiss to it. "I'm okay, Ellie. I'm fine."

A minute passed.

"What do we do now?"

Riley was silent for a moment. "We'll figure it out."

* * *

It was later than evening when they saw Adam again. He came in without knocking, finding them still perched on the bed together. Riley had broken the lamp during the hours that had passed, throwing it against a wall with a mutter of "goddammit."

He looked at the broken glass, and then sighed. They watched him approach warily. Riley considered grabbing a piece of glass as a makeshift weapon, but then decided against it.

Adam looked down at them for a moment, and then reached out lazily, brushing his fingers against Riley's swollen cheek. Riley sat rigidly.

"Don't touch her," Ellie snarled.

Adam shrugged and retracted his hand.

"You will be going without supper tonight. I trust you will have reconsidered my offer by the morning, and will have decided to accept the gift you are being offered."

He left without another word.

Riley took a deep breath and strode to the window. Ellie watched as Riley wrenched it open and stared down the sloping roof. After a moment, she shooed Ellie off the bed and pulled the sheets off.

"Now," she began as she tied the sheets together, "here's what we're going to do."

* * *

The wind whipped their hair and clothing about them as they pressed themselves against the side of the barn, and distant thunder growled like some great beast lurking in the shadows.

Through the walls they could hear the movement of livestock, nervous hooves stamping the straw, and the softs huffs of frightened horses. Riley sidled forward, her gaze focused on the small shack that sat near the front of the barn, its door padlocked.

Ellie kept watch at her back, her pocketknife in hand. She felt exposed without her bow, but the knife was better than nothing.

Riley nudged her, and they darted from the barn to small building.

"We just need to figure out how we get in here," Ellie mused, eyeing a small window just above eyelevel. There was a crack of thunder somewhere near by.

She looked around, finding a small block of wood lying near the corner of the barn. She grabbed it, and then threw it at the window, shattering the glass.

With the crash came a new sound, harsh and droning.

Ellie pressed her hand to her forehead. "OhGod please don't tell me that's that a fucking siren."

From the church came the sounds of bells pealing, and a clamor of voices shouting.

Ellie and Riley wasted no time running. Large droplets of rain had started pelting their faces as they dodged behind a stack of hay bales.

"Oh, fuck! Riley, where do we go?"

"I have no idea. Let's just get far away from here and figure it out."

They bolted past the barn and behind a house. Ellie leaned against the wall to catch her breath.

"We need to get back to that toolshed. Ours weapons are probably there."

She received no response from Riley, and nudged her with her foot. "You with me?"

Riley shook her head. "Yeah, sorry."

"You alright?"

"Fine. Let's go."

In the future, Riley would wonder whether the rain and aided or hindered them that night. It had hidden their voices, certainly, and the thunder had covered their footsteps, but it had done the same for others.

Riley didn't hear him approach, but she felt the hand clasp over her mouth, roughly jerking her backward against someone's chest. Her muffled yell alerted Ellie, but not quickly enough.

Another figure appeared from the other side of the house, and he grabbed Ellie's arm, twisting it behind her back. She brought the free hand bearing her knife backward, burying it firmly in the man's gut. He sputtered, dropping her with a cry of surprise.

The man bent forward, his hand holding his stomach, and Ellie shoved her knife into his neck without hesitation. She turned to face Riley, her eyes wide.

Riley managed to bite the thumb of the hand on her mouth, and took advantage of the brief opportunity it allowed.

"Ellie, fucking run! I'll find you later! Go!"

Ellie stayed frozen, her hand still wrapped around the blood-coated knife. The sound of approaching footsteps startled her into action, and she cast one last panicked glance at Riley before bolting away like a startled deer.

Adam – of course it was Adam. Riley hadn't expected differently – wrestled Riley's arms behind her back and shoved her forward, leading her toward the barn.

"If you had only behaved," Adam hissed, his grip painfully tight on her arm. "If you had just listened."

"Fuck off," Riley spat.

Adam sighed heavily, jerking open a door on the side of the barn and shoving Riley inside. He dragged her to the back of the barn, past stalls holding spooked horses that paced anxiously, to what looked to be a feed room. Once inside, he slammed the door behind them. Riley searched frantically for a weapon, for anything at all. To her surprise, and further unease, Adam simply crossed his arms and stared at her.

"I had held out faith that you could be reformed, but…" he shook his head. "Riley, tell me what you know of God."

"Is this a joke?"

He watched her silently, with his hawk eyes.

Riley threw up her hands. "Fine. From what I can tell, he's a douchebag if his followers are all like you."

Riley half expected to be struck again, but Adam just stood there, as if the words hadn't registered. Eventually, he shook his head and left, bolting the door behind him.

Riley stood in the middle of the room for a minute, and then turned and kicked the wall.

"God damn it! Fucking, goddamn… shit!"

Some vindictive part of her hoped that if there was some God in the clouds somewhere, he was listening to her.

She paced the floor, uncertain of what she was looking for. The room was windowless, and relatively bare. She could find nothing but a pile of straw and a blanket.

It occurred to her that the room might serve as a prison cell.

It was when she was considering simply yelling and hitting the walls until someone came to check out the noise that she heard the soft knock at the door.

"Ellie?"

There was no response.

She ran to the door and leaned against it, listening.

After a moment, there was a voice. "It's Amelia."

Riley blinked. "Why are you here?"

"To talk."

Riley groaned, pressing her palm to her forehead. "About what?"

There was a moment of hesitation. "I wanted to tell you that you're wrong."

"About what?"

"Whatever it is you think of this town, of our life. We're… we're happy, here. And you could have been, too."

"Are you serious? Don't you see anything wrong with any of this? Anything? You and your mom aren't allowed guns, aren't even allowed to fucking speak without permission. Why do you think that is?"

"I… the men protect us-"

"Bullshit. You could protect yourself, and you know it."

"It's not like that. Women were responsible for the original sin, we're flawed-"

"What?"

Amelia gave a disdainful huff. "I wouldn't expect you to know."

Taking a deep breath, Riley leaned against the door, realizing she was getting nowhere. The boards in the walls around her might have been more easily convinced. "Okay. You believe there's a guy up in the clouds who's watching over you?"

"Our Heavenly Father. Not just some… guy."

"Right. Well, tell me, why has he ruined this world?"

Amelia hesitated. "To punish the sinners."

"Okay. But you're part of this world, and you still think he's protecting you?"

"Of course."

"Have you ever lost anyone to the infected? Watched a family member be ripped to pieces? You can't tell me you guys have never had an accident here."

No response.

"What do you think makes you better than the sinners?"

Amelia answered quickly. "Faith."

"And were you born with faith?"

"Everyone is, but many lose it."

Riley considered this for a moment. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I think you may be right."

She could hear Amelia's quiet breaths on the other side of the door. "Honestly?"

"Yes. If you could let me talk to my friend, maybe she would see it, too. It was her idea to leave here."

"I can't let you out. My father would be furious."

"I understand." She paused. "Hey, it's really cold in here, and I'm still soaked from the rain. Do you think you could possibly hand me a blanket of any sort? You don't have to come in. Just crack the door."

"Swear to me this isn't a trick."

"What kind of trick could it be?"

There was another moment of silence. "Okay."

She heard her footsteps fade for a moment, and then return. "I'm going to crack the door now, and hand you this."

Riley leaned her shoulder against the door. "Thanks."

She heard Amelia slide the bolt, and then felt her push against the door.

"It won't open," she said, sounding wary.

"Just give it a shove," Riley suggested, readying herself.

Amelia did, and Riley stepped back, causing Amelia to fall forward and into the room. Riley wasted no time shoving past her and slamming the door in her face.

"You swore!" The betrayal in her tone was obvious.

"Sorry. You should learn not to trust people."

Not looking back, Riley ran down the aisle, pausing at a stall to grab a knife stuck in a bale of hay.

"Okay, Ellie. I'm coming."

With the help of a stray rake from the barn, she was able to hoist herself into the generator room through the window, wincing when the broken glass left a shallow cut in her arm.

After a quick glance around the room proved it to be safe, she knelt by the generator. It was large and red, and its age showed.

Running her hands over her hair, she eyed the various switches and buttons. "Alright, what the fuck do I do now?"

After a moment more of hesitation, she began flipping switches at random, waiting for some sort of reaction. She wasn't sure what finally did it, but the generators hum suddenly ceased, and she finally exhaled, resting her hand on the warm metal.

She glanced at a tangle of wires that ran from the back of it, and then grabbed a loose piece of glass from the floor and sliced through them.

"Okay. Distraction now."

She managed to find a crate to boost herself to the window, along with a pair of what looked like brush cutters. Once she was out of the window and back under the assault of the drilling rain, she stumbled and slipped to the first section of fence she could find, shredding it with the cutters.

There was some small part of her that pointed out that there was nothing heroic about this, but that didn't stamp out the small swelling of triumph she felt at the sight of the loose strands of fencing illuminated by a flash of lightning.

It only took her a moment to decide how to draw the town's attention, and a moment more to find a lighter in the barn, near some neatly stacked logs. She gathered loose hay from the ground and bundled it up, flicking the lighter on and nesting the flaming grass against the wall under the eaves of the generator room, causing flames to catch the wood and lick their way up.

She set off at jog again, brush cutters still in hand. "Ellie, where the fuck are you?"

The thunder still growled, but above it she could hear the low murmur of voices, though they were unintelligible. They came from the square, and Riley stood behind the shop they had entered earlier that day, peeking around the corner.

Lightning revealed a man's silhouette, his back to her. On his belt, Riley could faintly make out the shine of metal. Moving low and silently, she hefted the cutters and swung them, catching the man in the back of the knee and bringing him to the ground. He went for his gun, but she was faster, pressing her foot to his wrist and slamming the dull back of the cutters against his head. He went still, and she felt sick. With shaking hands she fumbled for his gun at his belt and pulled it free, finding a full clip of ammo.

"Okay. Okay." He voice was weak, and she shook her head to clear the haze that was filling it. "Gotta find Ellie." She repeated the phrase over and over softly, clinging to it to stay afloat in the sinking sense of panic she could feel settling over her.

She dodged from building to building, listening each time she paused, waiting for some sort of sign. It came with the yell, somewhere near the house across from where she stood.

"She has a knife!"

Riley pulled herself over the railing of a nearby porch, stooping beside a potted fern and watching through the holes in the lattice. A man was kneeling in the mud, his palm pressed to the back of his calf. Riley saw another man step out of a small building opposite the church. He was toting a shotgun.

Riley scanned the shadows behind the kneeling man, finding no sign of Ellie.

She was considering throwing something to distract the men when voices from the direction she had come did the job for her.

"The generator room is burning, and the fence is out! We need all men here, now!"

Riley waited until the men had run out of sight before dashing through the rain and past the bloody spot where the man had been kneeling, into the shadows of the house.

"Ellie?" she kept her voice low.

Nothing.

The panic trying to claw its way out of her throat once more, she ran wildly around the house, nearly falling in the mud twice.

"Ellie, please just fucking come out."

She dropped to the ground, her breath coming in short gasps. Her arm twinged, and she touched it to find it slick with blood.

"Fuck."

She lurched to her feet on heavy limbs and ran again, this time toward the barn, hoping Ellie would have followed the commotion to look for her.

As she ran, she spoke under her breath. "God, please. Please." She wasn't sure whom she was talking to at this point.

She stopped at a house near the corner of the barn, and eyed the smoke wafting above the roof, pale blue whenever lightning struck.

"Get off me, you asshole!"

The scream got Riley's attention, and she flew toward it, her gun cocked. She rounded a corner to find Ellie shoved back against the house, her knife fallen the ground. There was man attempting to grab her wrists who, when he failed, knocked her roughly across the cheek. Riley saw red, and, without thought or hesitation, aimed the gun. The crack of the shot seemed as loud as the splitting of the earth, and Ellie stared in shock.

Before Riley could speak, Ellie was lunging forward and pulling her into a rough hug with a cry of "Riley!"

"Ellie Ellie Ellie Ellie, oh God," Riley gasped the words into her neck, pulling her tight against her.

They broke apart quickly, and, after scanning their surroundings, Ellie's eyes landed on Riley's arm. She swiped the blood from cut, her hands trembling. "Riley, you're bleeding-"

"I'm okay. Let's just go." She grabbed Ellie's hand, and they were running once more. Ellie guided them toward the toolshed they had passed earlier.

"We need to get our weapons-"

"Ellie, we don't have time!"

"We need them!"

Riley grabbed her arm, turning her to face her and gripping her shoulders forcefully. "Ellie, we have to fucking go. Now."

A yell shattered the silence between them. "Infected!"

They glanced up as men poured away from the burning generator room like cockroaches from the dark, many pursued by runners and clickers.

The sound of hooves drew their attention away from the scene, and they watched as a man attempted to climb on a horse that was past panicked, the whites of its eyes flashing as it danced away from him. He struck its shoulder with his gun, and the horse startled again.

Ellie grabbed her arm. "Can we take his horse?"

Riley remembered the number of times Ellie had rambled to her about Princess, and about eventually getting a horse, and almost laughed.

She nodded, and pointed her gun at the man's head as they approached.

"Give us the horse," she thought of Marlene's tone once more, and imitated it poorly, her voice far too shaky to be commanding.

The man spun to face them, starting to ready his gun. Riley flicked her aim down and fired, the bullet catching his knee. He dropped the rifle and Riley grabbed it and handed it to Ellie before slamming her gun against his head, knocking him out.

She grabbed the horse's reins and nodded to Ellie. "Get on."

Ellie climbed on her bent knee and clambered into the saddle, offering Riley her hand and letting her sit in front.

Riley turned the horse, and, as she did, caught a glimpse of a figure standing in the shadows of the barn, watching them. She was small, and wore a flowery dress, and her eyes were hard.

Riley turned her eyes from Amelia and pressed her legs into the horse's side, swallowing another surge of panic when it threw its head up and stepped from side to side.

"Easy, easy. Come on!" She rubbed its neck with one hand, and it suddenly shot forward, shifting both their weights backward. Ellie's arms wrapped more tightly around her waist, and Riley sent the horse charging toward a section of the fence where a post had fallen and pulled the wire down with it, clinging to the saddle's horn and hoping for the best. The horse hopped over the wire and rushed into the forest, sweat coating its neck.

As Riley focused on guiding their anxious mount between trees, Ellie found herself glancing back at the flames that had moved to the barn, and thought, briefly, of burning cities and pillars of salt.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I formally apologize for this. **

* * *

The sun was well up when Riley eventually reined the sweating mare to a stop. She had no idea how far they had traveled, only knowing that the horse had slowed to a trot after running herself into a lather, and then eventually to a walk, occasionally halting and calling out for the herd mates she had left. Riley had stroked her slick neck and coaxed her forward, feeling a twinge of guilt.

Then again, ends justified means. Maybe.

Ellie had drifted off at some point during their travel, her cheek rested against Riley's shoulder. They hadn't exchanged a word since they'd left, both too numb and tired to try.

Riley nudged Ellie awake and helped her down from the mare, guiding her to sit in the moss underneath a large oak. She stripped the damp saddle pad from the horse's back and wiped what sweat she could from her coat, her movements stiff from riding so long.

Ellie watched her through heavy-lidded eyes. "Ri?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

She shrugged. "Just really tired."

She set the saddle on the ground, pad stretched over it to dry, and pulled the reins over the palomino's head, letting her graze while they rested.

Riley leaned against the trunk of the oak, the ache in her head from lack of sleep rivaling the dull pain in her arm. She felt Ellie's fingers trace the cut.

"We've gotta find something for that."

Riley sighed. "And food. And more ammo." Her voice became increasingly exhausted as she spoke. "And new fucking clothes."

Ellie just shook her head.

There was silence then, apart from the twittering of birds, and the mare crunching the thick grass. Her bit had become covered in green foam, and Riley wiped it off with her finger.

Ellie ran her hands through the mare's tangled mane. "What do you want to call her?"

"You can chose."

Ellie considered this for a while. "Venus."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, I figured you'd be opposed to naming her after a spaceship, so I want to name her after a planet instead."

Riley chuckled quietly, closing her eyes. "Fine. Venus it is."

* * *

When they set off again, Ellie rode in front. They'd been traveling for about an hour when Ellie noticed Riley's breathing had slowed, and her arm had loosened its hold on Ellie's waist. She smiled to herself, remember Riley's insistence that yes, she was tired, but no, she didn't want to sleep yet, and that Ellie should stop worrying.

* * *

Riley was woken a few hours later by the sound of hooves on pavement, as Ellie guided Venus through the tangled weeds that had encroached on the street.

They'd set off in no particular direction, but appeared to have stumbled into a rural town, judging by the compact nature of shops that lined the street, the small motel, and the lanes and drives off the main road that lead to modest neighborhoods.

Riley yawned, stretching her arms to rest her hands on the saddle's horn. "How long have I been out?"

Ellie's shoulders shrugged under her chin. "A few hours. You feeling okay? Your arm feels warm."

Riley nodded lazily, resting her cheek against Ellie's neck.

Ellie directed Venus down a side road, and into a small neighborhood with tightly packed, tidy little houses, and lawns that threatened to consume them.

They stopped at the first house that looked promising, which happened to be a single story, simple blue house with a white front door and shutters, and tired looking picket fencing around it. The gate was hanging open, and Ellie reined Venus through it, closing it behind them and leaving her to graze in the yard while they looked for a way in.

The house seemed undisturbed: the lock on the door was still intact, and so were the windows, until they broke one.

Inside of the house looked strangely normal. It almost seemed lived in, apart from the dust that coated everything, and had settled into the white carpet, giving it a dull, grayish tone. There was the faint smell of rotting in the air, though it seemed almost a part of the place, in a way that was impossible to describe.

One cabinet in the kitchen was filled with medications of all sorts, including prescription antibiotics. They weren't certain whether the previous occupant had been ill, or perhaps an addict, but they couldn't bring themselves to care. Apart from medicine, they also found a number of knifes, and a few cans of food, all of which they left arranged on the counter cheerfully.

There was a single bathroom, and it held a decent medical kit, with all the basics they needed. Ellie hugged it, and then insisted they clean up Riley's arm then and there. Riley agreed begrudgingly, allowing Ellie to seat her on the edge of the tub while she rinsed the wound with rubbing alcohol – Riley came up with a few new curse words during this – and then toweled and bandaged it.

"It won't need stiches, at least, though you're going to have a cool looking scar," Ellie said, repacking the medical kit and carrying it along with them.

"You ever see that scar on Marlene's chest?" Riley asked suddenly, still looking down at her wrapped arm.

"No. What's it from?"

"You know, she wouldn't tell me. Isn't that weird? Most people have some colorful story for each of their scars, but she wouldn't even explain where it came from."

"Huh."

They wandered past the front door – it had at least four separate locks, a peephole, and a baseball bat and flashlight within reach of it – and into the bedroom, which looked totally normal, apart from the skeleton dangling by a rope from the ceiling.

"They must have just given up as soon as everything started." Riley's voice was distant as she approached the body. There was no note. Whoever it was didn't seem to have had anyone to tell.

They mutually decided to leave the body be – if it had been there so long, there was no reason to move it, really – and quickly checked the room for supplies.

In the closet they found shirts and pants that, though a little too big, could replace the dresses they'd been desperate to abandon. Riley wanted to burn the itchy, flowery fabric, but they eventually decided that throwing them out the window would do well enough.

It turned out that the stove ran on gas. Riley left a pot of chicken soup simmering while they sat themselves on the couch in the living room, watching Venus graze through the window.

Riley was the first to speak. "You know, killing people is a lot different than killing infected."

Ellie took a deep breath. "Riley…"

"I killed one guy with a pair of brush cutters."

Ellie said nothing.

"I think a lot of those people in that town were probably good people. I mean, Adam was a dick, but a lot of them were just… naïve, or something."

Ellie shook her head. "You did what you had to do, and you got us out of there. We didn't have a choice."

"I still probably got a lot of innocent people killed. I did all of this shit without even feeling bad, because all I could think about was just getting you out of there-"

Ellie cut her off with a firm, lasting kiss, cupping her cheek with her hand. When she finally pulled away, she rested her head against Riley's.

"Riley, it's okay."

Riley wrapped her hand around Ellie's, by the bruise that still remained on her cheek, and said nothing.

* * *

They spent a few hours in the house, enjoying the first proper meal they'd had since breakfast in the town, and drinking the jugged water they'd found in the kitchen pantry – they set some aside for Venus in a bowl, and brought her into the house to let her drink - and finally allowing themselves to unwind. It wasn't until Venus had begun pawing at the carpet that they decided to pack up what they'd found in a large travel bag that'd been in the bedroom and head out. Venus had protested being tacked up again, but Ellie had managed to assuage her with a few sugar cubes she'd found in the cabinet.

The afternoon sun was gazing down at the land unrelentingly, a gold coin interrupting the solid blue of the sky. The world seemed quiet. Almost tired.

Ellie had suggested heading for the coast: even if it wasn't LA, they could still try to figure out surfing. Riley had agreed that it seemed better than wandering aimlessly, and they'd decided to go seek out a map, since hers had been stuffed in the backpack she'd left at Adam's settlement.

Ellie was alternating between attempting to whistle and humming as they traveled, and Riley had had to choke back a laugh on more than one occasion when Ellie would cut off a puff of air with a random curse.

"You know, it's not an instant thing," Riley said, glancing back at her. "You'll just pick it up over time."

"Whatever."

They found their map in the agricultural center of the town, neatly tucked away on its shelf. The building itself was untouched. Apparently, no one had any interest in pamphlets on tending plants when the world was ending.

They sat on the curb while Venus grazed in the overgrown garden, dusting off the map and examining it.

"It's going to be a few day's worth of riding, I think," Riley noted, tracing the various routes with her finger. "We're near the middle of the state, and the coast is…"

Dragging her finger from the dot on the map that marked the town, to the ocean, she shook her head.

Ellie shrugged. "Well, you have any other ideas?"

Riley closed the map and stood up, offering Ellie her hand. "Nope."

They decided to do one last search of the town before they left, to see if there was anything else they could scrounge up. They trotted Venus down the main street, where decrepit shops loomed on both sides, the paint peeled off their signs, many of their doors hanging open. The largest appeared to be a grocery store, and they stopped in the parking lot between abandoned cars, assuming the building to be the only place that used to sell things other than knickknacks and books.

As they dismounted, Venus stepped around uneasily, her nostrils flared.

Ellie rubbed the horse's neck, gathering her reins in her hand and leading her toward the automated doors that were standing open, rusted in place. When they were within feet of them Venus balked, tossing her head up and backing away quickly, nearly pulling the reins out of Ellie's hand.

"Jesus, girl, what's wrong?" Ellie had to jog to keep from losing her hold on her.

Riley glanced at the store, and then back at the horse. "Maybe she just doesn't like big, dark places?"

"I don't know. She doesn't want to go in, though."

Riley shrugged, and helped Ellie tether Venus to a light pole. She had calmed slightly after being led away from the store, but her muscles were still tense.

"We'll be back in just a minute, Vee." Ellie called over her shoulder as they jogged to the door. They were both armed with knives, and Riley had given Ellie the smaller gun she'd taken from the one man, and kept the rifle for herself.

"You haven't used a gun yet, right?" Riley asked, examining her gun and finding six bullets inside.

"A beebee gun."

"Right. Well, your gun is little, so you should be able to handle it fine. It's the same idea."

"Got it. You think there's going to be infected in here?"

"I don't know. We'll see."

Riley took the lead as they went inside, toting the one flashlight they had found in the house. Its batteries were nearly drained, and its light was dim, but it did the job suitably enough.

The inside of the store was a wreck. Windows were broken, shelves were toppled, and there were bullet holes in more than one place. Shadows inhabited the majority of the store, and in some areas they were barely able to make out the checkered tiles beneath their feet as they walked.

Eventually, Riley shook her head, kicking aside the remains of a cardboard box.

"Wanna head out?"

"Yeah. I don't want Venus to freak out by herself."

They tracked along the back of the store on their way toward the door, hoping there might have been something they'd missed on the initial search. There was a shelf toppled across their pathway near what looked to have been the produce department. Riley rested her hand against it, preparing to vault over when the shelf gave way with a crash that bounced around the store proudly, like an alarm.

It was followed shortly by a screech, somewhere in the darkness. Others joined it.

"Oh, shit-" Riley readied her rifle and fired one shot at a runner emerging from the shadows. She started to aim for the next one, but Ellie caught her arm, shoving her forward.

"There's too many, go!"

They took off, hearing the sound of footsteps somewhere behind them. Dashing toward the corner on one aisle, Riley grabbed Ellie's arm just before a stalker cut them off, flashing out of the darkness from behind a shelf and rushing toward them. One shot from the rifle took it down, and they were running again, jumping over fallen shelves and broken carts, their feet slipping on the smooth floor.

They were within twenty feet of the door when the runner crashed into Riley's back, knocking the gun from her grasp and slamming her face first into the floor. Ellie shot, catching the creature's shoulder and drawing its attention to her. She didn't have time to fire again before it was on her, grabbing at her shoulders. She dropped her gun as she fought it back.

"Riley!"

Riley pushed herself to her knees, the wind knocked out of her by the fall. She stumbled to her feet and toward where the runner had backed Ellie against the shelf She jammed the knife into the infected's neck quickly, pulling it away from Ellie and knocking it aside.

She grabbed Ellie's hand and pulled her forward, dragging her toward the exit, only pausing to retrieve her gun. They could hear more infected crying behind them, and once they were out in the daylight Riley spun with her rifle ready, shooting out a clicker's knee before it could reach them. A runner followed it, and one shot in its throat brought it down. There were two more runners after that, one of which Riley missed when she shot at it, but hit the second time. She aimed at the other, only to find her gun empty.

"Fuck-"

The runner went for her first, and Ellie stabbed it in the back while it was distracted, and then shoved the knife up through its jaw and into its head when it turned toward her. Its body thudded heavily to the ground, and they stood in shock for a moment, their clothing clinging to their skin with sweat, their breaths coming in short gasps.

Riley surveyed the area for a moment, and then approached the fallen clicker that was writhing on the ground and slammed the butt of her gun against its head, silencing it.

She turned to Ellie, mopping the sweat off her brow. "I think we're okay."

It was then that she glanced down at her hand and saw the blood. She shook her head slightly, disbelievingly, before running her other hand over her skin. She found no wound: her palm was smooth, though slick and smeared with blood.

"Ellie…"

She lifted her gaze to Ellie, who was staring at her solemnly, clutching her arm.

Riley's head was spinning. "Ellie?"

Ellie removed her hand, and lifted the arm slightly, turning it toward Riley.

There, contrastingly vividly against the paleness of her skin, were angry, red indents, glaring back at her.

Riley only stared, taking slow, deep breaths. After a moment, she only breathed one word. "No."

Ellie just shook her head.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Okay, I'm finally done with this one. Writing angst can be kind of hard.**

**Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone for all the support they've given the story so far. This is my first multi-chapter fic, and having it reach over fifty followers is really kind of nice, and extremely encouraging. **

**On a final note, listening to the song "Say Something" by A Great Big World while reading this really helps add to the the mood. Just saying. **

* * *

For a moment it felt as if the summer air had solidified around them, closing in and trapping them in place like insects in amber as the blood continued to well up from the bite on Ellie's arm and trail its way lazily down toward her palm.

Riley's eyes remained on the wound. She was still rooted where she stood, Ellie's blood sticky on her hand.

Ellie looked at her, and at the distant expression on her face, and realized she might be in shock. Maybe she was in shock, too. She wasn't sure.

As if struck, Riley suddenly jerked her gaze away from Ellie's arm. She walked stiffly to Venus and pulled their bag from the saddle, fumbling with the zipper with shaking hands and eventually getting it open and digging inside.

Ellie watched her retrieve the medical kit and bring it over, her blank expression crumbling, the wetness of her eyes and her short, shaky breaths betraying the despair under the surface. Ellie only stared as Riley started to twist open the peroxide bottle, her hands trembling so badly that she almost dropped it.

Riley wiped the wound clean and rinsed it, her movements tense and automatic and almost imperceptibly frantic.

"Riley…"

"Don't." Her voice was brittle. "Please."

"We can't ignore this!"

Riley swallowed the lump she could feel forming in her throat, and only shook her head, tying off the bandage and stuffing the medical supplies back into the kit haphazardly.

Ellie watched her untie Venus, feeling strangely detached, as if she was watching events that were happening to someone else.

She was bit. She would die. That's how it worked. Simple.

She realized she should be feeling something, but at the moment it was only a dull sort of interest. Well, oops, look at that. Her luck had run out.

Riley rode Venus over, and offered to pull her up. Ellie looked at her (still shaken and crumbling and so damn afraid) and then at her hand (still bloody and slick with sweat), and then sighed and grabbed it, clambering up clumsily to sit behind her. Riley sent Venus forward at a trot.

"Where are we going?"

Riley's voice was still strained when she answered. "Back to the house."

"…Alright."

Venus startled multiple times during the ride, feeding off her riders' tension in the way horses do. Each time, Riley would only stroke her neck and cluck her forward. Ellie just listened, running her hand over the bandaging on her arm.

It wasn't until they were sitting on the dingy couch in the little house that either of them spoke. Riley was curled in on herself slightly, her head resting in her hands, her breaths long and deliberate. The silence in the air was different from any other before it: it was the sort of silence that reminded one of the feeling of holding your breath underwater until your chest started to ache, and your head began to lighten. Eventually, neither of them could stand it any longer.

"I should have just walked you home." Riley's words seemed to fall and shatter on the floor.

"What?"

"Back at the mall, after the water gun fight. You wanted to leave. We should have."

"Riley, please." She couldn't keep the exhaustion out of her voice.

Riley closed her eyes, rubbing a hand over her face as if to wipe away the tears she had refused to let fall.

Ellie felt of surge of something. She wasn't sure if it was panic, or despair, or bitterness, or a combination of the three. Whatever it was brought her to her feet, and made slam her palm roughly into pot that sat on the table next to the couch, sending it crashing to the floor in a shower of brick-red shards.

"Fuck!" The word didn't seem to have the power she wanted, and this only made her angrier. A pile of books joined the broken pot on the floor.

Riley only watched, her expression blank.

Finding that throwing things was doing nothing to pacify whatever was clawing at her from the inside out, Ellie took a deep breath and then turn to face Riley, her expression stony. "Okay, look, we're going to get this over with now."

Riley's eyes were fixed intently on her, wide and still so damn lost that Ellie wanted to hit something else.

"I think you should just go."

Riley stood up then, her blankness gone and replaced by incredulity. "Ellie-"

"Riley, just listen to me." She could hear her voice wavering when she spoke, and tried to push past it. "You've gotta do this for me, okay?"

Riley shook her head, somewhere between anger and panic. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You have to." Riley started to protest, and Ellie cut her off, shaking her head. "Fuck—look, you know what this is as well as I do, and you fucking know what's going to happen." Ellie closed the distance between them, grabbing Riley's hand in hers. "If you care about me at all you'll just do this for me. I… Riley, I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt Venus. And I don't want you to have to do something we both know you don't want to do. Look, it's for the best, okay? We'll say goodbye, and you'll take Venus and go back to Marlene."

Ellie had rarely seen Riley look like she did then. She'd seen her face Marlene's threats unblinking, and had seen her throw herself into the fray without fear. She'd seen her angry, frustrated, exhausted, and ecstatic, but she'd couldn't remember a time when she'd seen her look scared.

"Riley?"

Riley looked down for a moment, and took a steadying breath.

"I'm not going to let anything happen, but I'm not leaving."

Ellie sighed, and started to speak again, but Riley interrupted her.

"Listen. Everyone takes about a day to turn, two at the most. That's not a lot, but it's… it's fucking something, okay? It's all we have. And I don't think we should give that up. Ellie, I-" Her voice started to break, and she swallowed and blinked, composing herself. "I don't want you to be alone though this." She paused, as the thickness in her voice was becoming increasingly apparent. "So, I'm not going to leave. When the time comes that… something will have to be done, I'll do it."

Ellie studied her intently for a moment, focusing on the tear-glossed eyes that watched her just as urgently in return, and realized that this was an argument she would never win because she wanted more than anything to take Riley's side.

After a brief pause, she squeezed Riley's hand, so hard that it hurt. "Promise me. Swear to me that no matter what, you won't hesitate."

Riley returned her grip just as firmly. "I promise."

After that, there was an unspoken agreement that all that needed to be said on the subject had been said.

Darkness had fallen outside, and rain had come with it, pattering lazily against the roof like a lullaby. They found themselves curled up together once again on the couch, the day having left neither of them with an appetite.

Riley had her head rested on Ellie's chest, lying so that she could hear the dull, rhythmic thud of her heartbeat. It occurred to her that there was something poetic about that. And really sappy, too.

Ellie rested her nose in Riley's hair, her eyes lingering on the gun on Riley's belt. It had gone without saying that she wasn't allowed to put it down any time in the near future.

"Hey, why is it that you like space?" Riley's voice was soft, her ear still pressed over Ellie's heart.

Ellie shrugged. "I guess because you don't have to put up with all this bullshit in space."

"You've lost me."

"I mean, all this shit that's going on, all these people dying, all the war… only Earth is affected by that. It's just one planet out of who knows how many. Up in space, none of this really matters. We're just one little grain of sand in an infinite beach. So what if we all die? There are probably planets out there just like this one, or even better, where everything is fine. Planets are probably dying all the time. It's really not a big deal, in the grand scheme of things."

"Huh."

"Yeah. And spaceships are pretty fucking cool on their own."

Riley chuckled softly, her cheek brushing the fabric of Ellie's too-big T-shirt.

"Okay, it's my turn to ask you something," Ellie said, wrapping her arms loosely around Riley's waist.

"Shoot."

"When did you decide to join the Fireflies?"

Riley considered this for a while. "When I was pretty young, I guess. My dad had wanted to join them for the longest time, but didn't want to leave my mom and me alone. He always told me about how important they were, and how they were going to fix the world. That they were the only ones who could. He believed in them more than anything else.

He'd tell me stories about how life used to be. He'd talk about the old world, and he'd say how the Fireflies were going to bring it back. The way he talked about things… it was what gave me hope when I was little. Ellie, I fucking worshipped these people. I saw them as superheroes. I wanted to be just like them."

She laughed, then. "You know what one of my goals was as a kid?"

"What?"

"I wanted my face on a wanted poster. Like Marlene. I still kind of do."

"Christ, Riley."

"You have to admit, it'd be kind of cool."

Ellie snorted. "Kinda."

"Anyway, I used to ask him to teach me how to shoot a gun, and to fight. He taught me self-defense, because that was just kind of a must-have, but he used to insist I wasn't ready for anything else. At least not until I was older.

So, I think I always wanted to be a Firefly, if to try to bring back the world he talked about. And after he died without having the chance to join them… Well, I just had to. What else was I going to do?"

She took a deep breath. "I didn't want to end up like him: I didn't want to die without doing anything that mattered, just because I was trying to stay alive."

Ellie didn't say anything, only wrapping her arms more tightly around Riley's waist.

They stayed quiet after that. Riley allowed her mind to wander, trying to think of anything other than the obvious.

_You're going to have to shoot her, and then you're going to be all alone again_.

The thought seemed intent on springing to the forefront of her mind over and over, no matter how often or quickly she pushed it away. With it came other things, including the memory of the infected she'd killed for her Firefly initiation.

She'd managed to forget most of the experience, but she still remembered little things, like finding the single infected in the back of the warehouse they'd sent her into, hunched and sobbing like newly-infected always do.

Like her father had been before she killed him.

She remembered wiping her face with the back of her hand after shooting the runner, and having it come back smeared with blood that looked black in the low light.

She remembered Marlene approaching her afterward, and looking at her proudly, and praising her.

_"Well done, Abel."_

She remembered glancing down at the dead body on the floor, and wondering what there was to be proud of.

She really didn't like thinking about that experience too much.

Her thoughts drifting back to the present, she realized Ellie had fallen asleep, her arms still wrapped around her.

She lifted her hand to touch her forehead, finding it the same temperature it had been earlier. No fever yet.

_What if she wakes up and she's not her anymore?_

Riley pushed the thought away, and decided instead to think about what she would say to her when she woke up.

She realized that she might tell her that she loved her. But, then again, did that really need to be said? Everyone always did that sort of thing. A last minute confession of love? It was practically a cliché.

But she did love her. She wasn't sure when she had realized it, or if there had been any particular moment. Maybe it was when Ellie had asked her to run away, that night they had met Marlene, so long ago. Or, maybe, it had been when Marlene had told her she would have to leave Boston, and all she could think about was Ellie.

It didn't matter. She wasn't entirely sure love was something that could be pinpointed, anyway.

Eventually, when Venus started trying to eat the curtains, Riley carefully wriggled out of Ellie's grasp and led the mare out into night, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head and hunching down on the steps while Venus cropped the wet grass.

Riley rested her head against the railing that lined the side of the steps, and watched the rain drizzle down.

She stifled a yawn. She was tired, though she realized sleep would be impossible for a while. It seemed that going to sleep when you were grieving was the worst thing you could do. You always woke up in the morning and had that brief moment of blissful ignorance, and then everything came flooding back and knocked you lower than you were before.

Some things were meant to be dealt with all at once.

Her head felt numb and hollow, and she could feel tears starting to sting her eyes once more.

It just wasn't fucking fair. Why did it have to be Ellie? Ellie, who'd always followed her anywhere. Ellie, who forgave her when she didn't really even deserve it. Ellie, who was willing to runaway with her, was willing to trust her, to rely on her.

She found herself thinking back on what she'd said the first time Ellie had suggested that they run away. How they'd only end up with a different way to die, how it'd never work.

And look where they were now.

Riley thought she might throw up.

Her head was throbbing, and her chest ached, and her throat felt tight, and she pondered how grief honestly was a physical pain.

She gripped her head with her hands, and wanted. She wanted to fix this, or to make it go away, or just to stop thinking. She wanted to take Ellie's place. Or, hell, she'd be fine with following her. Anything.

Just not this.

By then her shoulders were trembling, and tears blurred her vision. Before she knew it, she was shaking with silent sobs that she couldn't keep back any longer.

She cried until the numbness returned, and then she wiped her eyes on her jacket and cleared her throat. She couldn't let Ellie see. That wouldn't be fair to her.

She got up stiffly and was walking toward Venus when she heard the door open behind her. Turning around, she found Ellie watching her from the doorway, her expression anxious.

"Oh, hey." Ellie waved halfheartedly, walking out into the cool air to join her. "I thought," she paused, shaking her head, "I thought you'd… left, or something."

Riley gave her a lopsided smile she hoped look sincere. "You should know better than that."

Ellie just looked at her, and then down at the ground, the tension leaving her shoulders as she exhaled slowly.

She took Venus's reins and headed toward the house. "Coming?"

Riley nodded and followed her in, watching as Ellie rubbed Venus's neck and slipped her bridle off, hanging it on the coatrack afterward. She remained standing as Ellie flopped down on the couch and looked at her arm again, picking at the bandaging absentmindedly.

Ellie eventually glanced up and caught her gaze, and then tilted her head. "Hey."

"Hey."

Ellie patted the couch beside her. "You just gonna stand there all night?"

Riley shrugged and then joined her, resting her cheek against her shoulder and listening to Ellie's breaths mingling with the sound of the rain.

"Riley?"

"Yeah?"

Ellie was quiet for a moment. She sat up, and Riley watched her lips part around words and then pause. Eventually, she just shook her head.

Riley understood what she meant anyway.

Nothing more needing to be said, Riley leaned forward and kissed her softly, resting her hand in Ellie's hair.

It was the longest kiss they'd shared, and slightly awkward and clumsy in that charming way young kisses are. They bumped noses and laughed quietly, and Ellie wrapped her arms around Riley's neck and almost toppled them off the couch.

At some point they realized they were both crying, and just kissed harder, Ellie's hand cupping Riley's cheek and wiping away the tears that stained it.

When they eventually stopped kissing, Riley pulled Ellie against her, wrapping her arms around her and tugging her into her shoulder, resting her head against Ellie's.

It occurred to her that this could be the last chance they had to be this close together. Eight hours - or so she guessed - had passed since Ellie had been bit. From what she remembered of what Marlene had told her about the early signs of infection, Ellie should be starting to plummet at anytime.

And there was nothing she could do about that.

She pulled back and looked at Ellie, at her eyes, eyes the green of the light that spills through the leaves of the trees in spring, and at her face with its smattering of freckles like stars in the sky, and at the scar above her right eye (she'd been there when she'd gotten that, that first night out together), and at her hair in its charming disarray. She looked, and she memorized, her gaze almost reverent.

"What are you staring at?"

Riley thought about her answer before she spoke. "You."

Ellie was quiet for a moment, her expression soft, and sad, and so very loving.

Riley dropped her eyes from Ellie's and glanced down at Ellie's bandaged arm. Her brow furrowed, and she reached out, hesitantly touching the skin above the material.

"What are you doing?"

Riley spoke distractedly, tugging at the edge of the material. "Hey, are you feeling any different?"

Ellie hesitated, and then shrugged. "Um… no. The arm feels the same."

Expression still thoughtful, Riley pulled at the bandaging, carefully unwrapping it to reveal the wound beneath.

The bite, though still raw and pink, looked a great deal like it had hours before.

"Huh."

Ellie pulled her arm back. "It doesn't mean anything. It can take at least two days."

"Yeah I know, but Marlene taught me how to tell if someone was infected. You know, just in case they were hiding it or something. Anyway, she said that you should be able to tell when someone is infected as early as four hours after they were bit even without seeing the wound, because they'll being showing a bunch of other symptoms."

"Like what?" Ellie asked warily, circling the bite with her finger.

"Like not being able to hold down food, or getting feverish, or having their eyes and nose start running. Also, the bite will swell up a bunch."

Ellie's eyes returned to the wound. After a moment, she shook her head and wrapped her arm back up tightly, not meeting Riley's gaze. "It doesn't matter. It's not like it changes anything."

Riley exhaled slowly. "I know, Ellie. I know."

* * *

Venus woke Riley the next morning by knocking over the television.

Riley had been startled out of a dreamless sleep, pulling her gun on the horse and then spending a long moment staring at the shattered glass on the carpet before realizing that there wasn't a threat.

"Jesus, Vee."

The horse ignored her, still standing frozen in the corner, eyeing the mess warily.

Riley rolled her eyes and returned the gun to her belt, stretching lazily and glancing around the room, still in the blissful haze that follows waking. She turned, and her eyes fell on the empty couch.

_Oh. Right._

It occurred to her that Ellie wasn't where she'd left her – which had happened to be pinned between her and the back cushions of the couch. How she'd wiggled out of that one without waking her was beyond her understanding – or anywhere in the room, for that matter.

"Ellie? Ellie!"

There was a thudding noise from the bathroom, and then Riley heard the lock turn, and the door swung open to reveal Ellie, who was rubbing at the back of her neck irritably.

"Tubs aren't comfortable."

Riley raised an eyebrow.

Ellie finished massaging the kink out of her neck and then shrugged. "I locked myself in the bathroom after you fell asleep last night. Just in case."

Riley didn't respond for a moment, and then eventually nodded. There was a brief silence, and then Riley gestured toward the kitchen. "Hungry?"

"Actually, yeah."

They ended up fixing oatmeal on the stove, making it unnecessarily sweet with artificial sugar they'd found in the cabinet. There was a strange sort of calm in the air, as if the sense of dread that had been looming over them had been dispelled, if only for a while.

They laughed, quietly, and they talked, and they pretended that it didn't feel strange to do this.

And, for a while, it was okay.

The hours continued to tick by, water dripping from a crack. Sometimes they were almost happy, and sometimes the silence nearly choked them, but they kept waiting.

A full twenty-four hours had passed when they looked at Ellie's arm again.

"Ellie, this is weird."

"It's probably just-"

"No, I mean this doesn't happen. Even if you were to take the maximum time the turn, all the other symptoms would have shown up by now. Something's going on."

Ellie jerked her arm away from Riley's grasp. "Like what? Look, I don't want you to get your hopes up and start letting your guard down or something-"

"Ellie, just fucking listen for a second, please. Humor me."

Ellie crossed her arms over her chest.

"Look, I'm not trying to sugarcoat this, I promise. I just don't understand what's going on. Bottom line, no matter how long it takes someone to lose control when they're infected, they can't hide it after a day. As far as I can tell, you look the same. And… I don't know what that means, but it's not normal. That's all."

Ellie stared at her, and then down at the floor.

"So… what? You think the infection just didn't take with me or something?"

Riley shrugged, lifting her eyes from Ellie's arm to her face. "I just think that it might mean something."

Taking a slow, frustrated breath, Ellie nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Another twenty-four hours later, Riley was practically ecstatic after she unwrapped Ellie's arm once more.

"Ellie, it's fucking scabbing over!"

"You shouldn't sound that happy saying that."

Riley was unable to contain the grin that was spreading over her features. "You're not infected, Ellie! You're," she broke off the words with a soft breath, her eyes shining. It was the happiest Ellie had seen her look in days. "You're going to be okay."

They stared at each other for a moment after that. The words were what they'd been carefully avoiding over the last day, because saying them felt final. Saying them was monumental, impossible.

Ellie's laughter was breathless, almost disbelieving. "Holy shit."

Riley's face shone like the break of dawn.

* * *

"So, what do we do now?"

Riley glanced up from the magazine she'd been looking through – it was full of more frilly lingerie items like they'd seen in the mall – and met Ellie's gaze.

"Do we have to do something?"

"Well, something's up with me. Something kind of important, I think."

Riley closed the magazine. "And?"

"Maybe there's something different about me. My genes, or whatever. Maybe that's why I didn't change?"

"What's your point?"

Ellie had taken to pacing the room, folding and unfolding her arms, drumming her fingers against her thigh, a general air of restlessness about her. "I don't know. I just think we oughta start thinking about what comes next, you know?"

Riley shrugged. "Alright. What do you want to do?"

Ellie worried her lip, glancing down at her arm once more. "This is going to sound really crazy."

"This whole situation is crazy."

Ellie came to a halt in front of her, finally lifting her eyes to capture Riley's gaze firmly. "I want to go back to Marlene."

Riley blinked, taken aback by the statement. "Really?"

Ellie hesitated before speaking. "Yeah. Look, I don't know what's going on with me, but whatever it is, I want to find out. I'm sure the Fireflies are looking for a cure, and maybe if there's something special about me they could…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't know. I just think it's worth a shot. I mean, what else are we going to do?"

Riley's expression was tepid, and her voice flat when she spoke. "We could just go surfing. Like we talked about."

This gave them pause, and they stood in silence while the words seemed to settle on them like dust.

Eventually, Ellie dropped her gaze. "Yeah, I guess."

Riley watched her with a tilted head and thoughtful expression. Her eyes were soft, and almost resigned. "You're really serious about this?"

"I think it's worth a shot."

Riley breathed in slowly, her shoulders rising with the motion. Finally, she nodded.

"Okay. Let's go find the Fireflies."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: And here we are! Sorry it took so long. Thank you to everyone who's been reading; your support has been lovely. Anyway, enjoy! Also, Joel and Tess will be coming in in the next chapter. I just thought I'd mention that.**

* * *

It was the bullet that shattered the earth a foot from Venus's front hooves that startled the mare, and the second one that hit the window above her head, sending glass raining down like hail, that sent the horse into a rear and her riders plummeting to the ground.

Riley landed on her shoulder, the sudden wave of pain leaving her dizzy. She managed to roll to her feet a moment later, arm held to her side, and see Venus bolt down the cluttered alley, their pack bouncing against her flank as she ran.

Ellie landed on her back, the wind being knocked out of her immediately. It occurred to her that she should get up, but it also occurred to her that her whole body ached and she couldn't seem to pull a proper breath in.

She hadn't so much as tried to roll over before Riley was grabbing her arm and pulling her off the pavement, only using her left hand.

Voice breathless and laced with poorly hidden panic, Riley started to drag her forward. "We've got to get the fuck out of here, come on!"

They stumbled forward together after Venus, Riley half supporting Ellie with her good arm around her waist. Ellie glanced back over her shoulder toward where the shots had been fired.

"What the hell was that about?" Her voice was barely a croak, and Riley tugged her along more insistently.

"I don't know. I don't think they were soldiers, but the Fireflies usually aren't that aggressive. Maybe they thought we were smugglers or something."

"Where do you think Marlene is?"

"Fuck if I know."

It had all seemed like such a perfectly thought out plan. After Ellie had announced that she wanted to go find the Fireflies, they'd packed up their supplies, saddled Venus, and set off the next morning, letting the summer breeze dispel the fog of despair that had enveloped them over the last few days. Ellie had been almost cheerful as they picked their way back toward the coast, reading the map to the best of their ability (finding a compass lying on the ground near a car they'd passed had certainly helped). Riley had never quite shaken the heaviness that'd settled on her in the days before, though she tried to keep Ellie from seeing that. She had realized they had miles to go – quite literally – before they would be even near safe, and even then, what was next? Marlene would just welcome them back with open arms? Find out what made Ellie immune and then just leave them to do as they pleased again? Riley had her doubts.

It'd taken them close to a week of travel to make it back to Boston. They'd stopped nightly for camp wherever it was safe, finding food and better fitting clothing along the way. Riley had never seen Ellie as vibrant as she was during that trip. She laughed and smiled, bubbly and glowing and so unlike someone who, only a few days prior, had been able to count the number of hours they had left.

The early days of their trip were spent riding forward and talking quietly, the nights cuddled together and telling jokes and singing to each other, accusing one another of being cheesy or sappy or just ridiculous.

They'd taken to kissing each other at random, Ellie simply spontaneously and for the joy of it, Riley because sometimes she'd find herself looking at Ellie, watching her grin and wrinkle her nose and roll her eyes and simply look so _alive_, and Riley would realize all over again that Ellie was fine and she was here and she wasn't going anywhere and that she was fucking _fine_ and that was fucking wonderful, and she'd end up kissing her, or just pressing a kiss to her cheek or hair coyly, causing Ellie to smile even more.

The trip had had its occasional close call – a few runners in one house they'd stayed in, having to hide in the forest while a blood-spattered truck had rumbled down the road, Riley falling from a fence she'd scaled to try to unlock from the other side and having to deal with a clicker on her own before she could get it unlocked, among other things – but they had done well overall, sticking near forest and rural towns, mindful to avoid cities where hunters and infected thrived.

The closer they had gotten to Boston, and to the Quarantine Zone, the more reserved they had become. They'd agreed to try to sneak their way back to Marlene, following some of the pathways and secret tunnels that Riley had learned about during her time with the Fireflies, and trying their best to keep out of sight of soldiers. Getting Venus in with them had been tricky, but they'd eventually found a way – fortunately for them, Venus wasn't afraid of water or tunnels – and they had agreed to see if Marlene would let them keep her at the Firefly camp until they figured out what to do with her.

They'd been traveling in the shadows of buildings on the outskirts of the city when they had fallen into their current situation. It did seem appropriate that their luck would run out when they were in the homestretch, but that didn't make their lapse of fortune any more pleasant.

After they had fallen, Venus bolted, turning a corner and disappearing from sight, the pounding of her hooves against the pavement becoming more distant as she ran. Riley started after her and then halted as the sound of voices came from the direction the mare had run. Exchanging glances, Ellie and Riley crouched in the shadows next to a rusted dumpster, its lid thrown open like a mouth agape, and listened. Riley's arm was throbbing viciously, and she touched her shoulder to find the fabric of her shirt ripped, and the skin swollen and scraped raw.

Riley caught Ellie's anxious gaze and gave her a reassuring nod, mouthing, "I'm okay."

Ellie looked unconvinced.

The voices drawing closer, Riley pulled her gun from her back and readied it, scanning their surroundings as she did. Her eyes landed on an open window, sitting just a little above head level, that they had passed on their way down the alley, and they ran for it then, mindless of where it lead.

"You can't boost me up with your arm like that," Ellie hissed as Riley went to offer her a leg up.

Gaze flitting anxiously towards the ends of the alley, Riley shook her head and beckoned Ellie forward. "We don't have a choice. Just come on!"

Realizing arguing would get her nowhere, Ellie set her left foot in Riley's palm and pushed off, springing upward and causing both of them to wince at the strain it put on their injuries. She grabbed the edge of the window, peering into the gloom warily as she did.

"Riley-"

Ellie was hitting the ground before she was even aware that Riley was no longer holding her up. She landed on her tailbone with a thud, attempting to rise as she heard Riley yell her name.

She only had a moment to see Riley attempting to free herself from the grip of a tall, bearded man before she felt an arm around her neck, pulling her into a chokehold. She thrashed against her assailant, landing a solid kick in his shin and driving an elbow into his ribs before he shoved her forward to her knees, wrestling her arms behind her back and then pulling her back to her feet, pushing her off balance so she could only shove against him helplessly.

There was a yell to her right, and Riley stumbled into her line of sight, grabbing her gun from the ground and pointing it at the bearded man, who pulled his own gun in response. There was blood on her lip, though it appeared that the bearded man had gotten off worse, blood pouring from his nose, and his thumb bleeding from a bite.

"Back the fuck off!" Riley kept the gun pointed at the man who had grabbed her until she her gaze fell on Ellie and the man restraining her, and then she faltered, alternating her aim between the two men.

Tone slightly less confident, she addressed the man holding Ellie. "Let her go."

The bearded man spoke in a gruff voice that gave the impression that he probably was the sort of person to have a collection of obnoxiously big guns. "I'd drop that gun, sweetheart."

The man restraining Ellie – who appeared rather uncomfortable restraining Ellie, or being in the situation at all – nodded nervously. "Just relax, kid. We won't hurt you."

The bearded man snorted as he wiped away the blood on his nose. "Speak for yourself."

Riley's eyes darted between them, pausing and lingering when she noticed that the boy who was holding Ellie had a pendant hanging from his neck, the Firefly symbol etched into the shiny medal.

After a moment, she begrudgingly dropped her gun and kicked it toward the bearded man, who picked it up with a self-satisfied sneer.

Realizing flipping him off would only worsen their situation, Riley hoped her expression conveyed her feelings on its own.

The young man looked Riley up and down. "Morello, these the girls Marlene mentioned?"

"Looks like it."

Morello examined Riley for a moment. "Abael, right?"

"A-bell," she replied coolly.

"Whatever. Marlene's been looking for you two."

Ellie, who had been wondering whether she could angle a kick well enough to knock out the boy's knee, raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yup." He then addressed the young man. "Let's take 'em."

Morello stepped toward Riley, who immediately stepped back, tensing. Ellie saw him reach for something on his belt.

"Wait!" she called, causing Morello to pause. She hadn't forgotten their first encounter with the Fireflies and their tazers, and wasn't keen to re-experience anything similar. "We want to see Marlene. We'll come quietly or… whatever. Just chill out."

Morello and Riley both turned to look at her, Morello's expression suspicious. After a pause, he nodded, and then spoke to the young man, who Riley had mentally dubbed Shy Boy. "Cuff 'er."

"Hey, what the hell? We said-" Riley started, only to be cut off with a dismissive snort from Morello.

"If you two get away Marlene will never get off my ass. Now, I don't want that, so I'm going to make sure neither of you go anywhere. Got it?"

Riley just watched him with narrowed eyes.

Shy Boy pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt and clipped them onto Ellie, and Riley watched Morello reveal and pair and then look at her expectantly. With her withering glare still in place, Riley offered her wrists, flinching and cursing under her breath at the way the cuffs pulled on her injured arm.

Morello directed the girls down the alley, and they marched forward together, falling into step.

"You alright?" Riley muttered, catching her Ellie's eye.

"Yeah. The hell is wrong with him?"

"I'm assuming self-esteem issues."

Ellie snorted, and they heard Morello make a warning noise behind them.

Eying a trashcan Venus had knocked over during her panicked run, Riley glanced back at the men behind them. "The horse-"

"We've already got men taking her to the camp."

"She's ours."

"Yeah, and this gun is probably yours, but that doesn't mean you can have it back." Morello's tone seemed to make everything he said at least twice as irritating as it might have seemed being said by someone else.

Ellie gritted her teeth. "Fucking asshole."

The walk back to Marlene was a great deal shorter than either had imagined, cutting through a few tunnels, up a flight of decrepit stairs, across a plank that spanned the distance between two rooftops, and down through a generator room and into an old warehouse, where they were greeted by a woman and two men, all bearing guns.

Morello nodded at them. "Tell Marlene we got the kids."

One of the men jogged off toward a door across the room and opened it, leaning into the room and speaking to the person inside, and then beckoned them to join him.

Ellie and Riley crossed the room, followed by Morello and Shy Boy, and the stares of the Fireflies that had stopped to watch them.

Ellie noticed Riley looked uncomfortable, her jaw tense and shoulders squared, eyes fixed ahead of her.

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

Marlene sat behind the desk in the room they discovered to be a makeshift office. She pointed to the two chairs in front of her desk, and Ellie and Riley both sat down immediately, hands still held awkwardly behind them.

Marlene looked them over, frowning at Riley's bloodied lip and scraped arm, and at Ellie's hunched shoulders, and then glancing at Morello. "When I said bring them back unharmed, I meant unharmed."

Morello stared at her incredulously, and then shook his head, gesturing at his nose and then at Riley. "The little shit fucking-"

Marlene cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Enough. We'll talk about this later."

Gritting his teeth, Morello stalked from the room. Riley hid a smirk.

Marlene cleared her throat, and Ellie and Riley immediately lifted their heads to meet her eyes. After a moment of tense silence, Marlene finally just shook her head.

"Where the hell have you two been?"

"It's kind of a long story," Ellie muttered, glancing toward the desk where Shy Boy had placed the keys to their handcuffs. Following her gaze, Marlene got up and retrieved the keys, undoing their handcuffs afterward, her eyes lingering on the bandaging on Ellie's arm.

Ellie and Riley exchanged anxious glances.

"Look," Riley began, "there's something we need to tell you, and you have to promise to hear us out entirely before you do anything. Please."

Marlene only sat back down at her desk and looked at them expectantly.

Ellie gathered her thoughts for a minute before speaking. "We went off exploring and…" She hesitated, taking a deep breath. "I got bit."

For a moment Marlene didn't speak as several things flashed across her face, shock, fear, anger, concern, and confusion among them. Eventually, she just looked at Ellie's arm. "Show it to me."

Hesitantly, Ellie unwrapped her arm to reveal the bite that had, over the course of their trip, started to heal and scar.

Marlene took her wrist, pulling her forward to examine the injury. "Jesus Christ."

"It's over a week old." Ellie's gaze remained on Marlene's face, her voice a little more nervous that she'd meant for it to be.

"She didn't even break with a fever," Riley added, watching as Marlene sat back heavily in her chair, her expression distant.

Eventually, Marlene shook her head. "I have no idea what to make of this."

Ellie shrugged. "Neither did we. That's why we're here."

Marlene rubbed her palm over her brow. "What the hell did you two think you were doing by running off like that? It's amazing to me that neither of you are dead." She paused, looking at Ellie's arm, and then added, "Or worse. I expected better of you."

As she said the last part her eyes lingered on Riley who, lips pressed in a thin line, was staring down at her hands.

Eventually, with a tired sigh, Marlene rose. "Ellie, I'm going to have one of our doctors check you over and draw some blood, see if we can't figure this out. Abel, you stay with me."

They nodded, glancing at each other warily as Marlene leaned out the door and called someone over, allowing the young man into the room. He was tall and lean, with a gentle, timid expression. He eyed the girls and then glanced at Marlene questioningly.

"Rob, I'm going to show you something, and I'm going to need you to be quiet about it." Marlene fixed him with a stare as she spoke, and the boy withered under it, nodding quickly.

"Yes, ma'am."

Marlene gestured for Ellie to come to them, and then took her arm.

"This is over a week old, Rob."

The boy's expression was almost comical for a moment, half terror, half awe. He looked at Ellie's face, and then suddenly reached forward and touched her forehead, and then leaned in close to examine her eyes.

Ellie pulled back, shooting him an annoyed glance. "Dude, the hell?"

"She looks healthy…" Rob was staring at her owlishly, and Ellie stepped back to stand beside Riley, who'd stood from her chair to watch, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Marlene nodded. "No symptoms whatsoever."

"If the others knew you'd brought a bitten girl in here-"

"That's why we're not going to tell them. I just want you to draw some blood on her, and see if you can figure out what happened. Understood?"

"Right. Yeah, okay," he shook his head, adjusting the modified glasses that were strapped to his face – goggles, would be the better term – and then turning toward the door. "Come on, uh, kid. I'll take you to the medical station."

"It's _Ellie_, and I'm not going anywhere with you-"

Marlene cut her off with a curt look. "Go with him. You'll be fine."

Riley leaned back against the desk as she watched Ellie leave with Rob, meeting Marlene's eyes warily once the door had closed.

Marlene gestured to the chair and Riley sat down once more, silent as Marlene retrieved a first-aid kit from under her desk and opened it.

"You could have gotten her killed, Riley."

Riley watched Marlene's hands open a bottle of rubbing alcohol and dampen a cloth with it.

"I know."

"You could have gotten yourself killed."

Riley only shrugged.

Examining her with a tired expression, Marlene reached into her pocket and retrieved something dangling from a chain, which she dropped into Riley's palm.

"I had some of mine track you to the mall, and they found this."

Riley turned her pendant over in her hand, the broken chain hanging limply. She said nothing.

"Care to explain?" Marlene was watching her carefully.

Her voice was small, and so much weaker than she intended when she spoke. "It's complicated."

"Try."

"I didn't want to leave."

Marlene chewed her lip for a moment and then nodded. "I expected as much."

Riley pocketed the pendant. "Why the hell did you want to send me off, anyway? It's not like you couldn't have used more people here."

"I had my reasons." Marlene reached out and gripped Riley's chin gently, lifting her head and wiping away the blood on her lip with the cloth, and then moving to her scraped shoulder.

"Sorry about Morello. He tends to… overuse force."

Riley snorted. "He took our horse."

"She's fine, don't worry."

Eventually, after Marlene had finished with Riley's shoulder, she returned to her chair, and they sat facing each other for a moment.

"So, what happens now?" Riley kept her tone cool, almost indifferent.

Marlene folded her hands in front of her. "That depends on a number of things."

"Like?"

"Well, first of all, has your mind changed?"

"About what?"

"The Fireflies."

Riley's brow wrinkled. "I don't understand."

"Are you still dedicated?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"Answer it."

Riley sighed, making a vague gesture with her hand. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Alright. And Ellie… how far would you be willing to follow her?"

Riley frowned, breaking Marlene's gaze and glancing away momentarily. "Whatever you're trying to do, or trying to get me to say-"

Marlene cut her off with a shake of her head. "I want an honest answer, without bluster. You obviously care for her. All I want to know is how far you'd be willing to go for her. If you'd risk yourself for her."

Riley stared at her silently for a moment, tense in her chair. Eventually, she glanced down. "I'm not planning to leave her side any time soon."

Marlene nodded. "That's what I thought." She paused, looking toward the door, where Ellie had gone. "Whatever this is that has happened to her… This might be something big. Something important. Maybe even revolutionary."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a cure."

Riley made a small, choked noise, searching for some sort of response, her lips moving wordlessly. Eventually, she whispered, "You're serious?"

Marlene smiled. "Yes."

There was a moment more of silence, and then Marlene spoke again.

"What's happened to Ellie is going to make her so much more vulnerable. She can't go back to the school, and she will have to remain away from people in general as much as possible. No one can know about this besides us. More than likely, if Rob can't figure this out with only a blood test, she might have to be transported up to laboratories, where they have the resources to run more tests."

Marlene paused then, her expression seeming far away for a moment. "Ellie is so much like her mother. She's stubborn, and she's volatile, and she's obviously loyal. She's not going to want to be packed off to God knows where on her own, and I doubt she trusts anyone like she trust you."

Marlene leaned forward then, her expression intense, and Riley, not intimidated, held her gaze.

"I need you to keep her safe, Riley. None of the others would care for her as personally, and we can't risk something going wrong, not with an opportunity like this."

"Just tell me what you want from me."

"If you want back in, you're in, but there are some conditions. Wherever Ellie goes, you'll go. You protect her, above all else. Keep her safe. Can you do that?"

"Of course."

Marlene considered her for a moment. "Good."

It was that moment that the door swung open, and Rob and Ellie returned, Rob's eyes even more owlish and bewildered than they had been before.

"Marlene, I need to talk to you," Rob said distractedly, staring at some papers in his hands.

Marlene nodded and walked out with him, leaving Ellie and Riley alone in the room.

Ellie rubbed her arm. "I fucking hate needles."

Riley gave a small huff of amusement. "You got your arm bitten by an infected, and you're complaining about needles."

Ellie rolled her eyes, and they dropped into their chairs, side by side.

"Was Marlene pissed at you?" Ellie asked, casting Riley a sidelong glance.

Riley's gaze was focused on the window, and she only shrugged. "I thought she'd be more upset, but she just started asking me if I'd keep an eye on you."

"What?"

"I don't know. It was weird."

"Did she say what's going to happen now?"

"She thinks they might need to send you up to their laboratories. Out west, I guess. She says I'd be going with you."

"Oh. Why do I need to go the laboratories?"

"For more tests."

"Ugh."

Riley punched her arm gently. "Hey, it'll be alright. She gave me full permission to kick people's asses if they mess with you."

Ellie chuckled. "Now I can sleep easy."

"I've done it before."

"What, slept easy?"

"No, kicked asses. Remember that dick who was messing with you on your first day at the school?"

"Yeah. I had that handled."

"Right."

"Fuck off."

They both laughed quietly then, sobering up when Marlene returned to the room, looking distracted. She gestured for them to stand.

"I'm taking you to my personal hideout, right down the road. You'll be safest there."

"Great," Ellie muttered. "So, we're just going to have to go wherever you say from now on?"

Marlene turned toward her and raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

Ellie sighed. "No."

"Good."

She led them out, past the curious stares of the Fireflies, and through a back door into the alley. After that, it was a great deal of twists and turns, climbing up crates – Ellie and Marlene helping Riley when the soreness in her arm made climbing difficult - and cutting through abandoned buildings to avoid the watchful eyes of soldiers. Finally, they arrived at a small, secure apartment, its door well reinforced.

Once inside, Marlene set her backpack down and told them to do as they pleased.

"They'll bring your weapons and belongings tomorrow," she added, walking into the kitchen, where piles of papers were stacked on the counter. "You can stay in the bedroom over there. There's only one bed, but it's probably nicer than whatever you had at the school."

"Great, thanks," Riley said, glancing around the room. "What's the deal with this place?"

"A home base, of sorts. It's a little comfier than the warehouse."

"Huh."

Marlene nodded, and then returned to the papers – maps, it appeared - she had been reading. Ellie grabbed Riley's arm, and pulled her toward the bedroom, and once they got inside Ellie shoved the door closed behind them and then flopped on the bed.

"It is actually really soft," she said with a grin.

Riley pulled off her T-shirt and jeans and tossed them aside, leaving only her tank top and boxers, and then joined Ellie on the bed. She gave a contented sigh as she rested her head against the pillow, closing her eyes.

"You know, it feels so nice to just be… safe."

She felt Ellie move beside her, and then felt her lips press gently to her own. She kissed her back softly, wrapping an arm around Ellie's waist and pulling her down against her chest, smiling into the kiss when she felt Ellie's hand drift from her jaw to the back of her neck, pulling her closer.

"It really does," Ellie whispered on the breaths between kisses.

Eventually, when they pulled apart, Ellie propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at Riley, smiling when Riley reached up to brush her hair out of her eyes.

"Here's to hoping it lasts," Riley murmured, tugging her down for one more kiss.

Later that night, when Marlene rapped quietly on the door to see if they were settled in well, and then opened it find them curled up together and sound asleep, she wasn't at all surprised.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So, here we are again. I'm just getting used to writing Joel/Marlene/Tess, so bear with me. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it! Let me know what you think.**

* * *

Marlene, the girls had found after spending a few days in her presence, was a great deal more pleasant without the eyes of her followers weighing on her. She smiled – honest smiles that made her eyes crinkle – and sometimes even chuckled, and her tone was softer, less rigid. She seemed less like the leader of a rebellion, they longer they knew her, and more like a rather tired, kind woman, with a decent sense of humor when she wanted to have one.

At the end of some days, she'd settle on the couch in her nightclothes – though what she considered nightclothes would still have been suitable if she were to need to up and run at any time – and talk to them about various things, though mostly the plans for their trip to the Fireflies' QZ. She'd told them she intended to go with them, for fear of having to tell anyone else about Ellie's condition. The girls were slightly relieved to hear this, feeling that Marlene's company would make the looming trip a little less formidable.

Some days, they'd catch Marlene looking at Ellie strangely, her expression slightly removed, or wistful. Neither had thought much of it, until one morning when she'd accidentally called Ellie "Anna." She had gone out immediately after that, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind her.

In spite of this, the time Ellie and Riley spent with Marlene was, though dull, happy. They had no need for their weapons, though Marlene did return their them and their other possessions, along with bringing them new clothing, and replacing Riley's rifle with a handgun that was easier to manage. Plus, having access to showers and electricity and food consistently felt divine, especially after spending so long on the road, getting by with what they could.

In short, everything was okay.

* * *

It was one afternoon, three weeks after they'd returned to Boston, when Marlene came stumbling into the apartment, a hand held to her bleeding stomach, and a couple Ellie and Riley didn't know accompanying her.

Until they'd heard the door open, they'd been lounging on the couch, listening to music with a Walkman they'd found in a box underneath the bed in the apartment. Marlene had given them permission to explore as they pleased within the building, and they'd found, much to their delight, that whoever had lived there before had left plenty of things to be discovered. There were books and photographs and CDs, clothing and movies and board games. They'd found the Walkman tucked away in a box with old photos and a dried rose. The box had "Arthur" written on the lid, the name surrounded by a heart. The tape in the Walkman had only love songs, and they'd spent the afternoon siting on the couch together, sharing the earbuds and listening to various men and woman croon about their various sweethearts and darlings, or talk of loves lost and found, pretending they didn't understand the lyrics.

Startled by Marlene and her company, they bolted from the couch, Ellie drawing her knife, Riley pointing her gun toward the man as he reached for Marlene.

"Get the _fuck_ away from her!" Both girls yelled in unison, receiving startled looks in response.

The man and woman both stared at them wonderingly, about as concerned as one would be by a cat batting a paw at them. The woman pulled her gun in response to seeing Riley's, and aimed it steadily, bewilderment still obvious in her expression.

"Riley!" Marlene barked, pulling her attention from the woman. "Lower your weapon. They aren't a threat."

Riley hesitated and then dropped her arm, going to assist Ellie in helping Marlene to her feet.

"Jesus Christ…" She pulled Marlene's hand away from the blood-soaked spot on her side, eyes wide.

"I can get the medical kit-" Ellie began, but Marlene only shook her head.

"I'm fine. I'll get patched up at camp."

Ellie frowned, glancing back at the man and woman who were only standing and watching them, looking perplexed.

"These two yours? They're a little young, dontcha think?" the man asked, voice low and gravelly behind his beard.

"She," Marlene said, pointing at Riley, "is. The other girl isn't."

"Who are they?" Riley asked, eyes bouncing between the couple and Marlene.

"They're help. They're going to get you through the first part of the trip. But," she paused, watching Riley's expression for a moment before continuing, "I can't go with you."

"You're kidding." Riley asked flatly, turning to look the man and woman up and down, brow furrowed. "What are they? Smugglers?"

"They're reliable-"

"You remember the last time we met smugglers?" Ellie snapped.

Eyes hard, Marlene crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to speak again but being cut off by Riley.

"How do you know these people are even safe-"

"Enough." Marlene's voice fell like a blade, silencing all protest. "You're going with them. You'll be fine. They'll take you to the Capitol Building, and some more of ours will meet you there. Is that understood?"

Riley nodded, and Ellie muttered something that might have been "Yes."

"I know them," Marlene continued. "I knew his brother, Tommy. He said I could rely on him, if I ever needed to."

"How come I never heard about Tommy?" Riley asked suspiciously.

"Probably because he left your little militia group some time back," the man said flatly, looking at her and Ellie with an annoyed expression.

Marlene sighed. "The point is, you can trust them. Now, go get your bags."

"Yes, _ma'am_," Riley sighed, the emphasis on the "ma'am" notably sarcastic. She stalked off to their room with her eyes downcast, returning a moment later with the backpacks Marlene had brought them a few days before and tossing Ellie hers.

"Wait," the man said, waving a hand toward Ellie and Riley. "We're smuggling kids?"

Marlene shrugged. "It's just across town, Joel. They're responsible, and they really just need to be escorted and kept out of trouble. That's all."

"Look-" Joel began, the woman interrupting him with a shake of her head

"They're just cargo, Joel."

He muttered something, agreeing begrudgingly. The woman turned to Marlene. "I want to see our guns first."

"They're back at camp. I'll take you to them." She paused, glancing at the girls, and then added, "But Ellie doesn't need to cross to that part of town. She can stay with Joel, and Riley can come with us."

"No way," Riley snapped, mirroring Marlene's stance, her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm not leaving her with some guy."

"You said we'd be staying together," Ellie added.

Marlene fixed them with a warning look. "No arguments. It's only temporary."

Riley glanced at Ellie, finding her as uncomfortable with the idea as she felt.

"Understood?" Marlene asked, drawing both of their gazes back to her.

"Fine," Riley muttered. She caught Ellie's eye again, and gave her a half-hearted shrug. "See ya in a little bit, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." She paused, and then added quietly, "Be careful."

Riley snorted. "Always am."

"Listen to him," Marlene told Ellie, gesturing at Joel. "Alright. Tess, Riley… come with me."

Riley's eyes darted back to Ellie more than once as they walked away, earning her a frustrated look from Marlene that she never noticed.

They walked a good half-mile before anyone spoke, only their soft footfalls to be heard. Tess looked at Riley, considering her with narrowed eyes before turning to Marlene. "So, what the hell is the deal with these kids?"

Marlene hesitated. "Nothing of any importance. I just need them moved."

"You don't do anything that isn't of any importance."

Marlene chuckled. "You don't need to worry about it."

Tess snorted. "I suppose not. Just a weird request, coming from you."

Marlene said nothing, and they fell silent once more, knowing that soldiers crawled the area, and made their way to the camp with little incident, though Marlene was barely able to walk by the time they arrived, Riley and Tess having to support her as they shuffled in.

One of the Fireflies, Rick, a tall, dark haired man that Riley had gotten to know well enough when she first joined, gave Marlene a respectful nod and then raised an eyebrow when he saw Riley.

"Last I heard you were dead."

Riley shrugged. "Nope. Apparently not."

"Huh. Can't say I'm surprised. You didn't seem dumb enough to go get killed that quickly."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Riley replied flatly.

Rick patted her shoulder as he went by. "Good seeing you around, kiddo."

"I told you not to call me that," she called after him, receiving only a huff of laughter in response.

"Jackass," she muttered without any real malice.

They supported Marlene to the medical station, where a small, dark-haired woman bustled over to them, worry-lines marring her tanned brow.

"Again?"

Marlene just chuckled. "Unfortunately."

After leaning back against a table with their assistance, Marlene waved Tess and Riley away.

"Riley, you can show her the weapons. They should all still be together. Oh, and here."

She grabbed a piece of paper and pen from the table beside her and scrawled something down, handing it to Riley.

"So they won't give you a hard time at the gate," she added.

Riley nodded, glancing down at the paper, and at the note Marlene had written to the weapon guards in her messy handwriting. After casting one last worried look at Marlene's now blood-coated hands, she led Tess across the camp toward a door that was guarded by a woman and man, both with machine guns in hand. Riley stopped at the door, and received equally dismissive looks from both of the guards.

"What do you want, kid?" the woman asked sharply, the cigarette at the corner of her mouth bobbing as she spoke.

Riley offered her the note, lifting her chin to stare the woman in the eye. "Marlene ordered me to show her," she jerked a thumb at Tess, "her weapons."

The woman looked at the note, then at Tess, and then back at Riley. "Why?"

"I don't think that's any of your business."

The woman glowered at Riley for a minute, and then shook her head, turning to unlock the door.

"Remember, we're keeping an eye on you."

"No problem," Riley replied coolly, pushing the door closed behind her and Tess.

Tess glanced at her as they walked, deciding that at least, if nothing else, the girl could hold her own.

The weapons were piled haphazardly in a metal crate, barrels protruding like spines. Tess ran her hands over some of them, and then nodded approvingly. "Looks like they're all here."

"She said they would be," Riley replied, leaning back against the wall, hands buried in her jean pockets.

Tess turned to her, tilting her head and fixing Riley with a thoughtful, almost amused expression.

"Kid," she said, pausing when she caught the annoyance in Riley's expression, "Riley, what the hell are you doing here with these people? I mean, seriously. Last I checked, they weren't recruiting people so damn young."

"I'm sixteen."

Tess chuckled. "That's still a kid."

Riley sighed resignedly. "What does it matter to you?"

"Just curious," Tess said with a shrug, opening the door and waiting for Riley to walk out.

They found Marlene where they'd left her back at the medical tent looking slightly less bloody and a little less pale. She looked to Tess, who nodded.

"They're there."

"Of course. And once you've dropped off the girls, I'll double them."

Tess raised an eyebrow. "You're serious about this, huh?"

"I need to make sure this is done well."

"I'm not going to question a good deal." She turned to Riley, and gave her a lopsided smile. "Ready?"

Riley glanced at Marlene, who nodded at her.

"You can trust them. Just do as your told, when you're told," Marlene said. "I mean it."

"I know, I know," Riley sighed.

Marlene didn't look convinced. "Once you get to the Capitol Building you'll be meeting the team. They've been ordered to keep the two of you safe and taken care of. You'll be taken from safe house to safe house, hopefully giving you time to rest in between legs of the trip."

"Got it," Riley muttered, folding her hands in front of her.

"Good."

She reached out and clapped Riley weakly on the shoulder, her hand still coated in dried blood. "You'll be just fine."

They turned to go, Tess walking briskly ahead, not bothering to check if Riley was following.

"Oh, and Riley?" Marlene called suddenly, gesturing for her to wait.

"Yeah?"

Marlene stared at her wordlessly for a minute, and then eventually just said, "Be careful."

"No problem."

* * *

Ellie had decided that a dog would have made a more talkative companion. Or maybe even a rock.

Joel had said nothing throughout the majority of the walk to the North Tunnel, apart from asking her age, and about her and Riley's involvement with Marlene. They'd quipped back and forth until she'd realize he had about as much personality as a bowl of watery oatmeal, and she'd gotten bored and found herself wishing Riley would hurry back with Tess. Tess seemed like she'd be nicer.

She watched Joel unlock the door that led to a dank little room that held barely anything more than a few pieces of furniture, and then flop down on the couch with a groan.

"What are you doing?"

"Killing time."

"Well, what am I supposed to do?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Ellie stared at him incredulously, and then shrugged it off, taking a seat by the window as the rain pattered its way insistently against the roof.

The downpour reminded her of another night, one she preferred not to think about. She touched her sleeve, feeling the indents of the bite beneath.

Looking out the window, past the glare of the lights and over the wall, the realization that she was going back out into the fray swept over her like a wave.

And it wasn't just her, was it? Riley was going, too.

She looked back at Joel, finding him asleep (or so she assumed. Maybe he was just trying to ignore her). Content that he wasn't paying attention to her, she pushed her sleeve up and examined the bite beneath, running her fingers over the light pink flesh of the freshly healed scar.

She really ought to be dead. Or wandering around attacking people. Somewhere in that area.

For a brief moment, she was struck by the idea that maybe she would just change at random, or that there was something special about that one runner, something that kept it from being infectious, and that maybe one day she'd get bit again and then turn.

The idea making her uncomfortable, she decided not think about it any longer, pulling her sleeve back down and leaning back in the chair, tucking her knees under her chin. She thought about Riley, wondering where she was, and hoping she wasn't doing anything stupid. She was still plenty vulnerable to getting bit, after all. Or shot. Or anything, really.

Hugging her knees, Ellie watched the rain continue to fall, and waited.

* * *

"Okay, so here's what we're going to do," Tess said, not bothering to look at Riley.

They were crouched behind a stack of crates, their weapons at the ready, and a patrol of soldiers ahead of them, voices barely audible in the rain.

"Yeah?" Riley asked, peering quickly over the top and then hunching back down, droplets of rain falling from the hood of her jacket and hitting her in the face. She wiped them away irritably, and then looked at Tess, who was counting her rounds.

Tess slid the clip back into the gun and then looked at her. "I'm probably going to have to take a few people out. I'm going to need you to stick to my heels, stay nice and quiet, and hang back. Okay?"

"That's ridiculous. I can help!"

"You don't have to."

Riley sighed, rubbing a hand over her brow. "Look, I can handle myself-"

"I got this," Tess said flatly. "I appreciate you want to help, and I'm sure you're probably pretty capable, but my job is to keep you out of trouble. So, for the meantime, I don't want to put you at risk if I don't have to."

Riley shook her head. "Whatever."

"Look, if I get into danger, feel free to back me up. But until then, just keep back. Okay?"

Deciding to take what she could get, Riley shrugged. "Alright."

Tess looked content. "Good. Look, we're going to stick to the shadows, and try to distract them where we can. Gunfire is going to bring people down on us, so that's going to be a last resort. Stick to me, and keep a clear head."

"Got it."

Tess nodded, and then moved out, jumping through a window into a small shop and then crossing to the opposite wall to listen, Riley on her heels. She gestured down the hall, and then held up one finger.

"I'm going to show you how to do something. Just watch me." Her voice was low, nearly inaudible. She pulled a knife from her belt. It was short and thin, with a blade that was dull in color and tarnished from use.

Riley stayed where she was crouched, watching Tess make her way silently down the hall, where a solider stood with his back to her. It took her one quick, efficient movement to take him down, wrapping an arm around his neck and then jamming the blade into his throat before he could so much as call out. She lowered the body to the floor and then beckoned Riley after her.

"I knew how to do that. With infected, anyway," Riley said, only receiving a snort of amusement from Tess in response.

Tess stalked onward into another room that appeared to be a waiting room, with a counter holding a coffee machine and old paper cups wrapped in plastic, dusty couches and musty, rotting magazines. They stopped by the door again, listening to the sound of footsteps and voices traveling down the hall.

Tess lifted a hand, telling her to wait, and then grabbed a mug off the counter and pitched it back out the door they'd come in through, waiting until the footsteps had changed direction before dashing forward. Riley followed after her, her hand resting on her gun.

They kept pushing forward carefully, in and out of buildings, over walls, across rooftops and through alleys, ambushing men when necessary, but mostly just blending with the shadows.

It wasn't long before they were nearly to the tunnel – or so Riley guessed from Tess's occasional mutter of "Not much further, now."

They slipped past another group of soldiers quietly and then halted at a fence, Tess scouring the wire until she found a tear large enough for them to slip through, and then urging Riley ahead of her, glancing back over her shoulder.

"We're almost there. Just across this roof, and then we've just gotta cut through a tunnel and we'll be in the clear," she said, climbing through while Riley held the wire aside.

Rain still pouring steadily, they jogged down the alley, the sound of bottles and cans clinking under their shoes and their boots splashing in the puddles, toward a small, wire gate. Tess went to push it open, and then growled in annoyance.

"Fucking great. They must have just fixed this," she muttered, hitting the padlock with the butt of her gun ineffectually.

While Tess tinkered with the gate, Riley noticed a ledge a little above head level, with a roof sloped low enough next to it for them to get where they needed to go. She nudged Tess and gestured toward the ledge. "What about there? Boost me up?"

Tess followed her gaze. "Huh. Good idea."

She walked over, clasping her hands together with her back to the wall. "Up you go."

Riley placed her foot in her hand and then pushed off, grabbing the brick and towing herself upward. As soon as she had steadied herself on the slick surface of the ledge she had reached down to help Tess, and was just about to grab her hand when a shout from down the alley drew their attention.

"Shit," Tess hissed. "Stay back."

Riley obeyed, pressing herself back against the wall, draped in the shadows of the overhang. She knelt silently, pulling her gun from her belt as the beam of a flashlight landed on Tess.

"On the ground!" the voice called. It sounded like a man, though Riley couldn't tell, the person's body being obscured by the rain and dark. She could guess their location well enough, however, as the light of the flashlight reflected against the sheets of rain in front of them.

Riley heard Tess speak, her voice relaxed, almost casual. "Is there really any need for this?"

"I'm not asking you again! Drop your weapon, and get on the ground!"

Tess didn't move, still standing with her arms spread in front of her in an appeasing manner, one hand open, the other holding her gun. "Wouldn't you rather look the other way this time? You really wanna mess with this?"

Riley saw the flashlight's beam shift, and, without thinking, lifted her gun and leveled her aim with the source of the flashlight's beam.

"Tess, move, now!"

Two shots went off, one ricocheting off the wall somewhere behind Tess's head, the other sending the man to the ground. Riley remained frozen where she was for a moment, only moving to wipe the water from her eyes. Tess's voice below her pushed her into action, as she saw a slender hand reaching up for her.

"Come on, pull me up. We gotta go. Now."

Riley did as she was told, and tugged Tess up with her, and following her quickly toward the roof, mindful of the slippery surface beneath them.

They ran together, Riley following Tess's lead out of the rain and down a stairwell. They stopped at the base, both doubled over and breathing heavily.

"Shit," Riley muttered, glancing back up the stairs.

"We're fine, now, don't worry." Tess paused, glancing at Riley, and then gave her a gentle bump with her elbow. "And good job back there."

"Oh, yeah." Riley replied, pushing her damp hood from her head and leaning back against the wall.

Tess examined her thoughtfully for a moment. "Was that your first time killing someone?"

"No."

"I'm not talking about infected."

"Neither am I."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Tess sighed and stretched, breaking her gaze. "Come on. Joel and Ellie are down here."

They walked to that last door at the end of the hall, and she knocked once and then opened it. Joel and Ellie watched them as they walked in, Ellie jumping up from her chair and immediately jogging over to Riley.

"Hey," she said, fidgeting, as if she was resisting the urge to hug her. She glanced her up and down once with poorly hidden concern.

Riley gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Hey."

Tess and Joel had walked to the other side of the room to talk, and the girls leaned back against Ellie's armchair to watch them, catching snippets of their conversation.

_"The guns alright?"_

_"Yep. And she's going to double them."_

_"Huh. Why?"_

_"She wants this done well."_

As they listened, Riley looked at Joel thoughtfully. "What's he like?"

"Kind of an ass," Ellie whispered with a shrug. "What about her?"

"She's cool."

"Well, that's something to be thankful for."

Tess and Joel exchanged words for a moment more and then called them over.

Looking between them, Tess spoke first. "We're heading out tonight. With any luck, we'll be there by midmorning tomorrow."

"Stay right with us, and do what you're told, when you're told," Joel added gruffly.

The girls agreed, less than enthusiastically.

"Got it."

"Will do."

Tess nodded approvingly. "Good. Let's go."


End file.
